


Actually, That Was a Good Thing

by Kujo1597



Series: Maybe That Wasn't Such a Bad Thing [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Amputee Peridot (Steven Universe), Background Rupphire - Freeform, Courtship comes into the final chapter, F/F, Just saying that so Courtship fans aren't reading this whole thing wondering where the zircons are, Mentioned Past Pearlrose, Mentions of past abuse, Peri and Amethyst had rough lives, Peri has a dog, T rating purely for language, There will eventually be feels of course, this is very fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-10-03 04:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10235603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kujo1597/pseuds/Kujo1597
Summary: A fire left Peridot with nothing and nowhere to go, she contacted former classmates and one of them told Lapis about the situation. Lapis let Peridot move in with her and they developed a friendship.One year later Peridot met a beautiful woman named Amethyst at the club and they kept in touch over the phone.You don't really need to read the first two parts of the series, they just establish how some characters first met. I even vaguely mention their meetings in this story itself so you wouldn't be lost if you did skip them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Ams:** Oh my god Peri, the Lil Butler reboot looks awful!

**Ams:** Like, it barely has anything to do with the old show yknow.

_Peridot:_ I KNOW THE RECENT CPH MOVIE WAS THE SAME WAT HOW HARD IS IT TO BE FAITHFUL TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL

**Ams:** I never watched CPH but I heard the movie was bad.

_Peridot:_ BAD IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

**Ams:** The Jem movie was god-awful! And not even in a funny way.

_Peridot:_ I NEVER WATCHED JEM

**Ams:** Ha! Not surprised, even I’m a bit young to grow up with Jem.

_Peridot:_ WAIT HOW OLD ARE YOU I ASSUMED WE WERE THE SAME AGE

**Ams:** 30 Per

_Peridot:_ OH IM 25

**Ams:** Jeeze, you have to wait before your childhood shows get bad reboots. ;p

_Peridot:_ ITS ALREADY HAPPENED YOUVE SEEN THE CN SCHEDULE

Peridot chuckled as her and Amethyst’s conversation about terrible TV shows and movies continued. She didn’t expect that cool and beautiful woman she met at the club to be such a TV geek.

 

* * *

 

Peridot faintly heard her phone ringing and lifted her head from her drool-covered pillow.

She groaned and squinted at her clock but the combination of tiredness and not wearing glasses made the numbers very hard to make out.

11:27PM?

Who calls at that time?

Peridot answered her phone and heard a somewhat familiar voice on the other end.

_“Hey Peri, what’s up?”_

It was Amethyst.

“Sleeping,” Peridot replied.

Or, at least she thought she did. It’s hard for Peridot to form words right after waking up.

_“Ah shoot, I woke you up, didn’t I?” Amethyst sounded a bit guilty. “I just wanted to talk but I can call some other time.”_

“I’m already awake,” Peridot briefly wondered if it came out snippish.

_“Nah, it can wait, I just saw the latest teaser for the final season of Ninja Keith and had to talk about it,” Amethyst was clearly suppressing her excitement. “Steven’s asleep so I called you.”_

“We can talk about it now, just give me a minute so I can watch it.”

The two chatted about the show until two in the morning.

 

* * *

 

Over the next month Peridot and Amethyst called and texted each other on several occasions.

Peridot never really had a friend before.

It was nice.

 

* * *

 

Peridot yawned while reading her menu, she had stayed up quite late texting Amethyst. This was becoming a regular occurrence which is unfortunate for early-riser Peridot.

“Hey,” Lapis addressed the sleepy young-adult across the table. “You can sleep later, we have errands to run.”

Peridot dismissively waved her hand. “I know, I just had another late…” she trailed of when she noticed a waitress with long lavender hair tied up in a high ponytail walking by.

“Cute girl?” Lapis asked, clearly amused.

“Oh no, was it obvious that I looked?” Peridot asked with a blush.

“Yeah, you can’t exactly subtly turn your head,” Lapis put her hand on the top of her head to replicate Peridot’s sky-high hairdo.

“Oh, heh, right. Um, you remember how I met a girl when you dragged me to the club?”

“You mean when I invited you because you need to get out more?”

“Whatever.”

“Yeah, I remember you mentioning a girl. Was that her?”

Peridot nodded. “She said she’s a waitress but not where she works. I didn’t expect to see her here.”

“You gonna go talk to her?”

“I… don’t know,” Peridot fiddled with her fingers.

“You’ve been chatting for a while, you should ask her to meet you after work.”

“Talking on the phone is different,” Peridot’s voice got quiet. “She can’t see me over the phone.”

The change of tone took Lapis by surprise. “She saw you at the club.”

“In strange dim lighting. She had no way of seeing just how bad my burns look.”

“That’s never been a problem before.”

“Yeah, well,” Peridot gestured at Amethyst. “I’ve never met somebody so beautiful and perfect before.”

Lapis took a good look at Amethyst. “Peridot, she has a cleft lip and her left eye’s really squinty. She’s not exactly perfect.”

“Those are such tiny flaws. This,” Peridot waved her hand around her face, “isn’t a tiny flaw and a significant amount of my body’s like this. You know, you’ve seen it.”

Lapis shrugged. “It’s not as bad as you think. You only think it’s really bad because you know what you used to look like. Amethyst likes you. She gave you her number and you suck at starting conversations so she must keep coming back to you.”

“Yeah, she always starts the conversations.”

“Knew it. I think you should go up to her. You two will meet eventually, wouldn’t it be best to do it soon? If she is repulsed by a little thing like your burns then she’s not worth your time anyway.”

Peridot put her finger to her chin in thought. “You may have a point…”

As Peridot weighed her options she faintly heard Lapis talking to someone.

“Peri?!”

Amethyst’s excited voice snapped her out of it.

“Ah! Amethyst!” Peridot’s voice cracked  in shock.

“Good to see you again,” Amethyst said with a grin. “Wish I could chat but I’m pretty busy.”

“What time do you get off work?” Peridot blurted out far louder than she intended. She could feel the blush spreading across her face and ears.

Amethyst had an amused look on her face. “I get off at four-thirty.”

“I-i-if you want we could hang out for a bit then eat supper together.”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Amethyst said with a smile then rushed off to do her job.

“See you then,” Peridot said quietly even though Amethyst was long gone.

She turned around and met Lapis’ smug gaze. “I don’t know if I should love you or hate you right about now.”

“You should love me, I just got you a date.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot arrived right as the clock struck 4:30PM she pulled out her phone as she stood outside the restaurant door.

It was only a fifteen minute wait before Amethyst came sprinting out of the door.

“Woah,” Amethyst nearly ran into Peridot. “Oh hey Peri. Were you here long?”

“Nah, it wasn’t that long.”

“Cool, cool. Are you up for some walking? I’d like to swing by my place to change.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that. We can also talk and choose where to eat.”

The pair started off for Amethyst’s house.

“So Peri, what’s the deal with you and Lapis?”

“Deal?” Peridot asked, obviously puzzled.

“Yeah, I know you and Lapis are roommates but are you dating or anything?”

Peridot nearly burst out laughing. “Oh no, we’re good friends but that’s it. Lapis graciously opened her home to me when I had nothing and nowhere to go,” Peridot thought a second. “Well, I guess I could have moved back to Alberta and in with my dad. But to be frank, I really don’t want to get on another plane any time soon.”

Peridot nervously laughed.

“Chill homegirl,” Amethyst put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “We’re just hangin’ out. No different from our texts and phone calls ‘cept we’re face-to-face.” Amethyst didn’t get much of a response but she sort of expected that. “So what do you want to do before dinner?”

“We both enjoy video games so I thought we could go to Funland Arcade for a bit.”

“Sounds good and Fishstew Pizza’s close by so we could eat there.”

“Sure, that works for me.”

They continued to walk and talk and eventually they reached a large beachfront property.

Amethyst opened the door and led Peridot to a couch in the livingroom.

“I’ll be back in a sec, make yourself comfortable,” she said before heading upstairs.

 

* * *

 

Several minutes later Peridot heard footsteps coming from the stairs. She expected to see Amethyst but instead saw a short chubby boy with curly black hair.

“Oh my gosh,” the boy exclaimed looking at Peridot all starry-eyed. “Are you Peridot?”

The boy’s staring made Peridot a bit uncomfortable. “Yeah.”

He chuckled and jauntily walked up to Peridot. “Amethyst told me all about you! I’m Steven by the way.”

Hearing that Amethyst talks about her made Peridot quite happy and much more relaxed. A smile reached her lips.

But there was a kid to entertain. “So you’re Steven, Amethyst told me about you.”

Steven beamed at Peridot. “She did?”

Peridot giggled. “Yes, she did. This visit is a bit impromptu, if I knew I was coming ahead of time I would have brought some of my spare G.U.Y.S. with me.”

“You have G.U.Y.S.”

“Yes, I collect lots of toys and figurines. I have G.A.L.S. too.”

Steven squealed. “That’s so cool!”

“I dunno, I think it’s pretty nerdy.”

Amethyst’s voice took Steven and Peridot by surprise. “But I like nerdy so it’s cool.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever understand your vocabulary,” Peridot said.

Amethyst laughed. “You’re an egghead, you’ll figure it out eventually.” She then held out her hand. “C’mon, let’s go.”

After saying their goodbyes to Steven, Peridot and Amethyst walked to the arcade.

 

* * *

 

They started off by playing some fighting games against each other.

“Wait, you use grapplers too?” the surprise was clear in Amethyst’s voice.

“Yeah, they’re a lot of fun and their designs are usually really cool,” Peridot replied amused.

“Dude, I pegged you as the type to use trap characters and zoners.”

Peridot shrugged. “I dabble with those. It depends on the game. But I always go straight for the grappler.”

They completely lost track of time playing the fighting games. Before they knew it well over two hours had passed.

The only reason they stopped was because Peridot’s fingers and right wrist were stiff and sore.

“You okay?” Amethyst asked Peridot who had started to bend and flex her sore joints.

“I’m fine, that just happens sometimes,” Peridot rolled her sleeve up a bit to show her wrist to Amethyst. “Skin grafts are a bit stiffer and more taut than normal skin so I sometimes need to do stretches.”

“Oh, I had no idea.”

“I didn’t expect you to, I only know that because a third of my body’s covered in them.”

The number really surprised Amethyst.

And Peridot could tell. “It’s mostly on my back so it’s not that bad. It’s the ones on my wrist and upper arm that are the problem.” Regret started to bubble up in Peridot’s gut when she saw Amethyst’s blank face. “Sorry, I made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, no, nononono, Peri, I just- wow, I can’t wrap my head around it. That’s actually pretty amazing. You’re really tough.”

Peridot laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

“It’s true! Not everybody can walk away from a thing like that. You’re pretty impressive.” 

Peridot burst into a giggle fit.

“I’m gonna keep saying it until you believe me,” Amethyst wrapped her arm around Peridot’s shoulders then poked her on the nose.

“I believe you, I’m just so relieved. I was really worried about how you’d react to seeing me in decent lighting. You’re so gorgeous!”

Amethyst’s face was completely covered a blush. “Whaaaaat?”

“It’s true!” Peridot was now blushing too. “You’re the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on.”

Amethyst buried her face in her hands.

Peridot laughed slightly villainously. “I will keep calling you gorgeous until you believe me.”

“You think you’re sooooo smooth, huh?”

“Stars no! I’m the biggest nerdy mess ever! Luckily, you’re kind of a nerd yourself.”

“Ha, that’s true,” Amethyst took Peridot by the hand. “So, how about this ‘gorgeous woman’ takes a certain 'nerdy mess’ to the pizza parlor?”

“Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Yeah, but it’s kinda late now.”

“We have to eat anyway,” Peridot said with a shrug. “I have a terrible habit of getting too into coding to eat so I’m kind of used to not eating supper until late at night.”

“Oh dude, you have no idea how many times I had a pizza for a midnight snack.”

“A whole pizza?” Peridot raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it was just a medium pizza, nothing too big.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to eat an entire pizza.”

“We can order a large pizza, you eat what you can and I’ll finish it off. Sound good?”

Peridot nodded.

While they were talking they arrived at Fishstew Pizza. They walked in and sat at a table.

“So what kind of pizza are you thinking of?” Amethyst asked. “I’m cool with whatever.”

Peridot hummed in thought. “I’m in the mood for something spicy.”

“You have good taste.”

“Oh, you like spicy food too?”

Amethyst grinned and nodded. “Spicy’s the best!”

“Then spicy it is.”

Peridot ordered the pizza which her and Amethyst greatly enjoyed as they made casual conversation.

After the meal they hugged and parted ways.

 

* * *

 

Peridot arrived at her home and called out to Lapis.

“I’m gonna lie in bed, my leg’s killing me!”

She walked into her room and smiled when she saw her little brown havanese curled up on her bed sound asleep.

Peridot sat on the edge of her bed, fondly gave her dog a pat then removed her prosthesis and sprawled out checking her social media on her phone.

Soon after Max woke up and took his place on Peridot’s tummy.

 

* * *

 

Lapis came into Peridot’s room some time later.

“So, how was your date?”

“I’m not entirely sure that was a date,” Peridot said. “I mean, we held hands soooo… maybe?”

“Woah, slow down there, you’re already holding hands?” Lapis’ voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Shut up,” Peridot was giggling. “We also hugged and neither of us was sad.”

“So what’d you guys do other than hold hands and hug?”

“We spent a few hours playing fighting games at the arcade, we then shared a pizza. AndIwasfeelingreallyselfconciousafterItoldAmethysthowmanyburnsIhaveandthenIblurtedoutthatIthinkshe'sgorgeousbecauseshecalledmeamazing.”

“What was that last part?”

Peridot’s face was bright red. “I told Amethyst just how much of my body’s covered in burns and she said I was amazing. I felt really relieved and then I blurted out that I think she’s the most beautiful woman I ever met.”

“How’d she react?”

“She blushed and tried to brush off the compliment. It really surprised me. It was as if she has never been told that before.”

“That’s very possible. Amethyst’s kind of pretty but in a really specific way. You’re into short stocky girls and piercings. It’s actually kind of crazy how up your alley she is. And she probably thinks you’re pretty attractive so getting a compliment from you must’ve been exciting for her.”

“I guess? She did call me cute at the club.”

“That’s good and she thinks you’re amazing, you two are also always chatting. I think you have a shot with Amethyst.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” new confidence began to fill Peridot’s body. But there was a problem. “I’ve never dated before, can you give me advice?”

“I’m really not the best person to ask, I suck at dating. You should just go with your gut, it’s working so far.”

“Go with my gut,” Peridot muttered. “Thanks Lapis.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it,” Lapis waved it off. “G'night.”

“Night.”

After getting ready for bed Peridot sent a message to Amethyst.

_Peridot:_ I HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY THANK YOU FOR HANGING OUT WITH ME


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot’s first real world interaction with Amethyst after talking at a club was a success! Amethyst’s funny and beautiful, and really nice and- wow, Peridot has it bad for her.  
> Problem is, Peridot’s never dated before and she’s not really sure how to start. Dealing with people has never been her strong suit…

_Peridot:_ WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME I REALLY LIKE YOU

Peridot’s thumb hovered over the send button.

Thoughts stirred in her mind.

_What if she doesn’t like me how I like her?_

_Was that hug a friendly one? Or did it means she really likes me?_

_She said I’m cute but is it cute like a puppy or like a girl she’d date?_

_Lapis says I have a chance with Amethyst._

_We did have fun when we spent time together._

_No, I can’t._

Peridot sighed and deleted the message.

Maybe some other time…

 

* * *

 

“Have you talked to Amethyst lately?”

Lapis’ question came during breakfast.

Peridot hesitated before answering. “We have, not as much as before but we are talking.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Something is clearly bugging you,” Lapis was as good at reading Peridot as ever.

As usual it took a bit for Peridot to respond. “I want to date Amethyst but I can’t work up the courage to ask her out. I type the message and then I get really anxious and delete it.

I’m pathetic.”

“Only a little.” Peridot gave Lapis a dirty look. “Okay okay, serious time. Look, we’ve been over this, Amethyst will go out with you. Just do it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Maybe you’d have better luck if you asked her out her face.”

Peridot looked at Lapis incredulously. “I’d get terribly tongue-tied if I tried that.”

Lapis smirked. “That’s probably especially easy ‘cause you’ve got two.”

“Lapis, serious time. And I only have one, it’s just cut down the middle.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. You did fine at the restaurant, why would this be any different?”

“Because we hugged and held hands and she’s been on my mind ever since,” Peridot groaned and buried her head in her hands. “This is why I’ve never dated. I suck at dealing with people.”

“Won’t lie to you, it can be hard. But isn’t constantly stressing out about it also really hard?”

“That’s true,” Peridot lifted her head. “I’ll try calling her tonight.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot had her thumb over Amethyst’s name in her address book.

Calling Amethyst is as simple as lowering a thumb.

But Peridot couldn’t.

Thoughts similar to the ones from the previous night swam in her mind.

“Well, I did tell Lapis that I’d try, not that I’d succeed.”

Sensing Peridot’s anxieties, Max nudged her with his nose then wriggled onto her lap.

“You know, I’ve never been good at reaching out to people,” Peridot spoke as she pet her companion. “Sure, I get frustrated and rant at people and I’m a good listener but that’s different from trying to connect with them or ask for help.”

Max looked up at Peridot as she continued.

“It’s a real problem and it hasn’t been getting much better with time. This would be so much easier if Amethyst just called me.”

A thought crossed Peridot’s mind.

“Do you think Amethyst is having a similar struggle right now?”

Of course Max didn’t answer, he’s a dog. But talking to him helps sometimes.

“She’s a lot more of an extrovert than I am but I think Amethyst has anxieties and insecurities too.”

The moment when Peridot called Amethyst gorgeous immediately brought itself back into Peridot’s mind.

“Yeah, she definitely does.”

Courage swelled up in Peridot’s chest.

She grabbed her phone, pulled up Amethyst’s name again and

hesitated.

Peridot sighed. “‘Just do it’ huh? Easy for Lapis to say.”

“But she was right about one thing, the constant stressing over this is really hard on me.”

Peridot’s thumb shook as it was lowered.

She lifted the phone up to her ear and listened to the dial tone.

Her gut twisted in knots.

This was a bad idea.

But Amethyst would see the missed call.

It’s too late to back out now.

_“Hello?”_

Amethyst sounded tired.

“Hey Amethyst, it’s Peridot,” she spoke with the flat even tone of voice she uses when speaking to important professionals, a nervous habit.

_“You feeling alright? You don’t really sound like yourself.”_

Uh-oh.

“I’m fine,” Peridot’s voice cracked, she cleared her throat then continued using her professional voice. “There is just something I want to ask you.”

_“Shoot.”_

Peridot screamed internally to abort  the mission, to ask about games, or movies, anything but asking for a date!

But instead she took a deep breath to steel her nerves.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

_“Another one so soon?”_

Another one?

_“Yeah, of course! I thought you’d wanna wait a bit before our next date.” Peridot could hear Amethyst’s smile._

But something needed to be said first.

“Sorry, Amethyst. I’m a bit confused. We’ve been on a date before?”

_“I thought it was a date,” Amethyst’s voice was oddly quiet._

“To be honest, I have no idea if it was or not. I don’t know how dating even works. I’ve never done it before.”

_“You’ve never dated before?”_

Peridot blushed. “No, I haven’t.”

_“That’s cool, good to know,” Amethyst softly laughed. “We won’t count last time then, one of us was clueless.”_

“Oh good. Sooooo… when are you free?”

_“Is Saturday cool with you? I have the whole day off.”_

“Yeah, Saturday’s great,” Peridot replied too loudly, volume control has never been her her forte. “Would you like to meet up for lunch around noon? But I have no idea what we could do afterwards.”

_“Well, it doesn’t have to be a date date. We could just hang out at my place or yours. Whichever.”_

Oh that’s much simpler.

Amethyst’s snicker told Peridot that she said that last thought out loud.

“Like I said, I’m very new to this,” Peridot giggled as she spoke. “Why don’t you come over here? I can make us a delicious lunch then we can play games or watch movie or TV.”

_“You know, I never pegged you as a chef.”_

Peridot shrugged. “I grew up cooking, my dad taught me when I was little. I enjoy it.”

_“I can’t wait for you to wow me with your cooking skills.”_

“Heh,” Peridot started to blush. “So, do you have any food allergies?”

_“Nope, I can and will eat anything.”_

“Good to know, so then, see you on Saturday.”

_“Yep, see ya Saturday.”_

As soon as Peridot hung up she realized that she completely forgot to ask if if she needs to dress up. It’d be terribly embarrassing if Amethyst dressed up and she didn’t, or vise-versa.

So Peridot sent a text and quickly got a reply.

That wasn’t so hard after all…

Oh who was she kidding?

That was really freaking hard!

But it should be easier next time.

…Should.

 

* * *

 

The next day Peridot heard a knock at the door. She quickly made sure that her clothes weren’t riding up anywhere, then she briefly wondered if she should’ve worn something nicer than an open bright green hoodie, geeky t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. But it was too late to change.

Peridot opened the door and saw Amethyst wearing a very pale pink tanktop with tears on the bottom and on her love handles.

Who would’ve thought that excess fat just above the hips could be so aesthetically pleasing? 

Peridot’s eyes drifted farther down to Amethyst’s low-rise jeans. Some suppressed chuckles alerted Peridot to the fact that her eyes lingered too long and of her blush.

“Oh sorry I-uh-I ummmm,” words failed Peridot for an awkward moment. “Oh darn, uh, come in.”

Amethyst noticed Peridot’s one sock-foot and its prosthetic counterpart, she bent down to take her shoes off.

“Oh,” Peridot was quick to speak. “You can leave your shoes on if you want. I just take mine off out of habit.”

“I don’t mind,” Amethyst finished removing her shoes then Peridot led her to the living room where Max was on the couch warily looking at Amethyst.

Periot walked over to Max and picked him up. “It’s alright, that’s Amethyst.”

After being put on the floor Max ran up to Amethyst wagging his tail.

Amethyst chuckled. “Aw, he’s so cute! He barely even looks like a real dog; he looks like a toy.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the reasons why I wanted a havanese,” Peridot said with a grin. “I should show you the rest of the house.

So Peridot took Amethyst on a tour with Max happily trotting next to her.

 

* * *

 

The two ended with the kitchen. Amethyst sat down at the table as Peridot gathered up the ingredients for crépes which she prepared earlier. Mise en place is important.

And it’s a good way to keep nervous hands busy while waiting for your gorgeous crush to show up.

“So what are you making?” Amethyst gave up on trying to guess based off of the ingredients. 

“Crépes,” Peridot replied. “My mother’s French and a Quebecois so they were a big part of growing up.”

“A kay-what?”

Peridot stifled a giggle. “A Quebecois, somebody from Quebec. The way I pronounced it is the way francophones do. My mother’s very picky about that. I remember it driving her nuts that nobody pronounces my name with a silent ‘t.’ But I’m used to it and actually kind of prefer the other pronunciation.”

“So I’m dating a French girl?” Amethyst wiggled her eyebrows. “You gonna seduce me in French?”

Peridot snorted. “I grew up in Alberta and I’m only French on my mother’s side. Besides, I’m sure the only reason people find French romantic is because they don’t speak it. I mean, I do, but-”

“Aw, boo,” Amethyst playfully said with a pout

“Alright, _I like big butts and I cannot lie.”_

“So what’d you say?”

Peridot burst out laughing. “You’ll have to figure that out on your own. I just blurted out the first dumb thing I thought of.”

“Not even a little hint?”

“Nope,” Peridot stuck her tongue out.

“You butt.”

The pair giggled as Peridot turned around to tend to lunch. “Hey, you should pick out what you want in your crépe.”

Amethyst looked in the fridge. “So what all can you put in a crepe? They’re like, really thin pancakes, right?”

“You can put pretty much anything in them. I’d stick to light foods. We should have some ham if you need meat in your lunch.”

“Ham’s great,” Amethyst dug in the fridge some more. “Hey, can I have cheese and mushrooms?”

“Sure,” Peridot replied as she slid crépe out of the pan. She started another.

Amethyst slid next to Peridot. “Can I try making one?”

“Alright,” Peridot finished the one she had on the go then stepped aside.

Peridot watched as Amethyst ladled batter into the pan as if she was making pancakes. “That might be a bit too much. It’s best if you put a small amount in the pan then slowly move it around to spread it evenly and thinly.”

“Like this?” Amethyst asked as she tried a second time.

“Yeah, perfect. While you do that I’m gonna give Max his lunch.”

Peridot grabbed Max’s bowl and scooped some of his kibble into it. The pooch excitedly licked his lips and stood on his hind legs. Peridot gave him a pat on the head then checked on Amethyst.

“That looks good,” Peridot said as she peaked over Amethyst’s shoulder. She then pulled some dark jam out of the fridge.

Amethyst noticed the jar. “What kinda jam is that?”

“Blueberry,” Peridot replied.

“Can I put some in my crepe too?”

This really puzzled Peridot. “You can, I wouldn’t recommend it, but you could.”

“Peri, half the fun of cooking’s trying weird shit,” Amethyst said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”

Under Peridot’s guidance Amethyst made another couple crépes for herself. They turned out fairly well. Before sitting down Peridot made a couple plain ones and put them to the side saying that they’re for Lapis to have as a snack.

“Is Max allowed table scraps?” Amethyst asked, looking into his pleading brown eyes. “I’d feel kinda bad if he could have some and I ate it all right in front of him.”

“Generally no,” Peridot replied. “But I will give him some meat or carrots on occasion. But no ham, pork makes him sick,” Peridot added the pork comment as soon as she saw Amethyst about to give ham to Max. “It’s really hard to resist those eyes of his.”

Amethyst took a bite of her lunch. “ This is really good,” she then cut off another piece, “you try it.”

Peridot was not sold on eating a ham, cheese, mushroom, blueberry jam, and stars knows what else crépe. And it showed.

“Aw, c’mon Peri, you won’t know you don’t like it until you try it,” Amethyst put on her sweetest smile.

With some hesitation Peridot gave in. Amethyst held a piece out on her fork and leaned over the table.

“You’re feeding it to me?” Peridot felt a bit silly.

“Of course,” Amethyst replied suppressing laughter.

Peridot shook her head and opened her mouth allowing Amethyst to put the creation into it. She chewed and tried her best to not show that she really did not like the flavour combination.

Unfortunately Peridot’s poker face needed some work. Amethyst finally burst out laughing. “Your face! That’s priceless! I take it you didn’t like my crepe.”

“No! It was awful!” Peridot made a decision, she cut a piece off of her crépe and held it out to Amethyst. “I want you to try mine.”

Amethyst bit down on Peridot’s fork with a sly look and no hesitation. She happily chewed it. “That is pretty good.”

Peridot’s pride swelled.

“You know what it needs though?” Amethyst’s playful expression was back.

“Don’t.”

“Ham.”

“Gyah,” Peridot groaned.

After a shared laugh they ate the rest of their lunch while talking about what they should do with the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

They decided to watch movies together. Amethyst plopped down on the couch as Peridot knelt in front of her DVD collection. A particular partially melted case caught her eye. With a small grunt she opened it and popped the DVD into her PS3.

Peridot sat on the opposite side of the couch a bit miffed that Amethyst chose the side she did. Sitting on Lapis’ side was weird. And on top of that, the position Amethyst was in was so inviting. Peridot briefly thought that she would fit so perfectly on Amethyst’s lap.

She suppressed the rising urge and snuggled Max instead.

It was way too early in the relationship to curl up together.

Wasn’t it?

While the pre-movie previews played Peridot found herself staring at Amethyst and her inviting arms again.

“Wanna cuddle?” Amethyst asked as if she could read Peridot’s mind.

Or maybe she just felt Peridot’s gaze.

Peridot automatically nodded but didn’t budge. “Are you sure it’s not too early in our relationship for something so… intimate?”

“Dude, it’s cuddling, it’s not super intimate, it’s actually a nice way to bond,” Amethyst sprawled out even more to make room for Peridot. “Besides, relationships don’t have a schedule, there is no 'too early’ or 'too late’ when it comes to this. You gotta go with the flow.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best to 'flow’ with you,” Peridot said then crawled onto Amethyst’s lap.

Amethyst wrapped her arms around Peridot after she got settled in.

Peridot let out a contented sigh.

She’s never felt safer or more at ease.

“Comfy?” Amethyst asked and Peridot nodded. “Good.”

 

* * *

 

Halfway through the movie Max perked up. When Peridot glanced at the hallway she saw Lapis.

“Hey,” Lapis greeted the pair.

“Hi Lapis,” Peridot returned the greeting while Amethyst waved. “We had crépes for lunch. I put a couple in the fridge for you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Lapis called while walking to her room.

Peridot redirected her attention to Amethyst. “So what do you think of the movie so far?”

“It’s really good.”

“I know,” Peridot’s face lit up. “It’s always been a favourite of mine! I’m so glad it survived.”

“Survived?”

“Yeah, the fire. Who would have thought a cheap glass case would be so good at keeping flames at bay?”

“They wouldn’t make cookwear out of glass if it caught on fire easily,” Amethyst pointed out trying to figure out how to keep things from getting awkward like last time.

“You know, that never even crossed my mind.”

Amethyst was successful.

“Oh!” Peridot exclaimed. “This is the best part!”

They started to pay attention to the movie again and finished it while cuddling.

 

* * *

 

The time came for Amethyst to leave. She wanted to stay for longer but Pearl needed her at home.

“Thanks for coming over, I really enjoyed myself today,” Peridot said as she held out her arms for a hug.

“Thanks for having me,” Amethyst gave Peridot a strong hug, then gave Max a pat on the head. “Bye little buddy.”

Max wiggled his whole body.

Peridot giggled. “He really likes you.” She wrapped her arm around Amethyst’s waist and gave her a peck on the cheek. “And so do I.”

She felt _soooo_ smooth in that moment, especially when Amethyst started to blush.

“Nerd,” Amethyst kissed Peridot’s left cheek.

The two separated and waved as Amethyst walked out the door.

Peridot touched where Amethyst had kissed her and felt the uneven texture.

_Amethyst chose that cheek._

That small detail meant a lot to Peridot.

What a wonderful end to a great day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going well between Peridot and Amethyst, they talk a lot, have similar interests, and are actually both dorky. Sometimes schedules don’t align but that’s alright.
> 
> Especially when they finally do at an amusement park.
> 
> Well, ideally anyway.

Annoyingly for the both of them, Amethyst and Peridot’s schedules haven’t lined up for over a month.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Peri, you free on Monday?” Amethyst had called Peridot.

_“Sorry, I have a doctor’s appointment that day. Then I have to rush around and do other things.”_

“Yeah, that’s fine, health’s important. We’ll try some other time.“

 

* * *

 

“Amethyst, how does Thursday sound?” It was Peridot who made the phone call this time.

_“Sorry Peri,” Amethyst sounded bummed. “I have work that day and the rest of the week too.”_

“Alright, phone me when you have time off, my schedule’s flexible.”

 

* * *

 

So Amethyst did call Peridot asking if she could go out with her.

_“Max is sick,” Peridot sounded upset. “Lapis has been in a funk lately too and when she’s like this she can barely take care of herself. I can’t leave them alone together. I really don’t want to clean throw-up.” Peridot laughed but it was hollow._

“That’s okay! Take care of the little guy! Give him a pat from me too.”

_Peridot’s spirits sounded a bit lifted, “I’ll do that.”_

 

* * *

 

And that just kept happening, Peridot’s schedule was flexible but something always came up.

And Amethyst was over-scheduled at work then when she wasn’t working she was too tired to hang out.

If they didn’t know better they’d swear they were avoiding each other.

Peridot’s anxiety tried to convince her of that but the fact that Amethyst was calling and texting quelled those awful thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Peridot picked up her phone, debated calling Amethyst then put it down.

She didn’t know Amethyst’s schedule so she decided it was best to wait.

Just as the phone almost touched the table it started to ring startling Peridot.

She answered it with a fumble.

_“Heeeeeyyyyy Peri!” Amethyst sounded very cheery. “Guess who has a few days off!”_

“Lapis?” Peridot was in a silly mood.

_“What? She’s self employed!” Amethyst decided to be silly too._

Peridot giggled. “I know. So, you’re finally free?”

_“Yeah!” Amethyst was pumped. “Wanna hit Funland on Thursday? It’s usually pretty quiet on weekdays. Steven will be there, he wants to spend the day with the two of us.”_

It wasn’t really a date but just seeing Amethyst would be nice.

“Thursday sounds fine,” Peridot replied. "What time?”

_“I was thinking we could get there at nine and make it a whole day.”_

Peridot sighed. “That sounds fun but I can’t be in the sun that long. I get sunburnt very easily and I have yet to find a sunscreen that doesn’t bother my skin grafts.”

_Amethyst got quiet, Peridot hoped it was just her thinking. “Well, you could come later in the day. Steven needs to start heading home before dark but I don’t.”_

“Would four PM be okay?” Peridot asked after considering her own limitations. “We would all be able to spend some time together and I’ll hopefully not get too sunburned.”

_“Sounds fine to me,” Amethyst sounded relieved. “See you then!”_

Peridot smiled. “See you then.”

 

* * *

 

Thursday arrived and Peridot walked through the gate of the amusement park. She had arranged to meet with Amethyst and Steven near there.

Amethyst spotted Peridot’s hair in the crowd and waved and shouted for her to come over. Peridot took a bit longer than Amethyst expected and seemed to be hobbling a bit.

But whatever, Peridot came! Amethyst ran up to her and gave her a huge hug nearly knocking her over.

“It’s so good to see you again!” Amethyst had a huge grin.

With a chuckle Steven joined in on the hug. “Hey Peridot, glad you could make it.”

“So am I,” Peridot ruffled Steven’s hair. “I hope you don’t mind too much that it couldn’t be the whole day.”

Steven shook his head. “Nah, it’s okay. Amethyst told me about the sunburn, I’m just happy to see you.”

“So,” Amethyst spoke up, “what should we do first?”

“Rollercoaster!” Steven cheered.

“Yeah, we definitely need to do the most fun thing in Funland first,” Amethyst agreed with his choice.

Peridot was a bit apprehensive however.

The group made their way to the rollercoaster, Peridot trailed slightly behind the excited duo.

When they arrived the ride was bigger than Peridot expected and so was the sign covered in safety warnings. 

Amethyst grabbed Peridot’s hand and started leading her to the line. “C’mon, you’re gonna have a blast.”

But Peridot stayed put. “I think I’ll sit this one out.”

“Aw, what?” The disappointment was clear in Amethyst’s voice.

“What?” Peridot side-eyed Amethyst.

“It’s not as scary as it looks, just give it a try.” 

Fear wasn’t the problem. But Peridot didn’t want to say the real issue.

“Maybe later, you and Steven can ride it.”

Amethyst started to protest but was stopped by Peridot waving her hand.

“Just hurry up and go so you can hurry up and come back,” Peridot said with stubbornness clear on her face.

Steven and Amethyst gave in and went on the ride without her.

 

* * *

 

“So good,” was the first thing out of Amethyst’s mouth when they returned.

They tracked Peridot down who sat on a nearby bench while they were on a ride.

“Looks like you had fun,” she said as soon as they got near. “So, what’s next?”

Unfortunately on their trip around the park Peridot saw more and more rides she couldn’t go on. Normally she enjoyed watching other people have fun but she couldn’t help feeling more and more miserable.

She trailed behind Steven and Amethyst as they passed by some stalls. Peridot debated coming out and telling them what the problem is but she didn’t want the pity and awkward ‘I’m sorry’s’ she always got.

Most of the surroundings were kind of a blur to Peridot but one thing did catch her eye.

An excited gasp left her mouth before she knew it. “Steven! Amethyst! Look at this!”

Peridot pointed at an alien plush almost as big as she is with a huge grin on her face.

Then she noticed that it was at the ring toss booth.

Something she could do!

She rang the bell and surprisingly quickly Mr. Smiley hopped over the counter.

“Mr. Smiley,” Steven happily greeted him. “You work the ring toss too?”

Their conversation continued, something about a bed, but Peridot was too focused on figuring out the perfect way to throw the ring to win that prize.

Before Peridot knew it some rings were put infront of her. Either Steven or Amethyst paid.

Must’ve been Amethyst, Steven’s a kid.

Either way, the trio each threw a ring and not a single one landed.

They tried a few more times and had no success.

“This biz is rigged!” Amethyst angrily exclaimed then crossed her arms.

Steven groaned and Peridot sighed.

Nothing was going right.

“I’m going to get you that prize,” Amethyst muttered with determination.

Amethyst gasped. “Is that Onion trying to set the rollercoaster on fire?!”

Mr. Smiley crossed his arms. “I’m not falling for that one again.”

Unfortunately for Mr. Smiley, Onion _was_ trying to set the rollercoaster on fire. He quickly jumped over the counter and ran over to Onion. “No! I’m still paying off the lawsuit from last time!”

“Good old Onion,” Amethyst said with a shrug.

Amethyst leapt over the counter with ease and put a ring on one of the bottles then quickly retook her place.

So, Amethyst was willing to cheat.

When Mr. Smiley returned Amethyst smiled.

“Hey Mr. S, while you were gone, Peri got a ring!” Amethyst did a fine job of selling the lie.

“I did?” Peridot was a little slow to catch on.

Amethyst whispered to Peridot, “we’re lying.”

“Yep! I did land the ring!” Lying was never Peridot’s specialty.

Mr. Smiley seemed to buy it though. “Why would you look at that… I thought this thing was rigged.”

Excitement filled Peridot’s whole body, cheating wasn’t right but neither is rigging a game.

Mr. Smiley handed Peridot a tiny alien pencil topper with a smile.

Disappointment immediately hit Peridot.

“Um, excuse me, but you’re wrong,” Peridot pointed at the large plush. “I’m supposed to win that one.”

“You mean the big guy?” Surprise was clear in Mr. Smiley’s voice. “Sorry kid, that’s ten rings.”

Of course, another thing went wrong.

 

* * *

 

Steven and Amethyst sat down eating their corn dogs as Peridot browsed the internet on her phone.

“That toy you won sure is cool,” Steven tried to make conversation.

“You mean the one Amethyst won by cheating?” Peridot wasn’t in the mood.

Amethyst stopped eating. “Okay, what’s bugging you?”

“You mean besides the fact that you cheated?” Peridot raised an eyebrow.

“You were upset even before that,” Amethyst leaned in closer to Peridot. “C’mon, be honest. You’ve been miserable all day.”

Peridot really didn’t want to come clean so she buried her nose even more in Rumbld.

“Stop playing around on there,” Amethyst tried to get Peridot’s attention but it didn’t work.

Amethyst really needed to get Peridot’s attention so she took the phone away from her.

“No! Give that back!” Peridot sounded really upset.

 “After you tell me what’s wrong,” Amethyst stood firm. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

But it was hard seeing Peridot like this.

Peridot looked defeated.

“My back’s really bad, I didn’t mention it because every time I mention a problem of mine everybody pities me, I’m sick of it.”

Amethyst’s expression and voice softened, “well of course you weren’t having any fun. You were so focused on what you can’t do. You should’ve told us.”

Just as she was about to give Peridot’s phone back Amethyst’s gut told her otherwise. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“My right knee got shattered when I was a kid. Sometimes I need to walk with a cane,” Peridot reluctantly explained. “Today’s one of those days; I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Embarrass me?”

“You’re so cool and then there’s me, hobbling on a cane next to you. I felt like I needed to keep up my image so you’d want to be around me.”

“Wha-image?” Amethyst couldn’t believe her ears. “Per, I’mma be really _real_ with you. I don’t like you because of some image, I like you for you. Okay sure, your look is what made me sit next to you in that club but when we talked I saw **you.** A really sweet nerd who didn’t deserve half the shit she’s been through. You’re so focused on being cool for me but I like _you.”_

“Amethyst,” Peridot couldn’t find the words to express herself.

“Okay,” Amethyst patted Peridot’s knee. “Did you bring your cane?” Peridot nodded. “Good, where’d you park? I’ll grab it for you.”

Peridot fished her keys out of her pocket then handed them to Amethyst. “I’m parked in an accessible parking spot. My car’s the dark blue two-door.”

Amethyst got up then ran off to the parking lot leaving Steven behind with Peridot talking about Ninja Keith and other cartoons.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Amethyst to return with a plain grey cane but the sun was already setting.

“Here,” Amethyst handed over the cane.

“Thank you,” Peridot stood up so Steven could hug her goodbye.

“Bye Peridot, hopefully next time we can ride stuff together.”

“I’m sorry Steven, I should’ve said something sooner.”

“It’s okay, now we know.”

Steven left Amethyst and Peridot behind in the park.

“Hey,” Amethyst made sure to choose her words carefully. “So what did happen to your back?”

“I fractured a disk when I was twelve,” Peridot replied, leaving out an unusual amount of information.

“How’d you do that?”

Peridot’s grip tightened on her cane. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Alright, but if you ever do I’ll listen.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Sooo… I’m cool with sitting but are there any rides you wanna hit?”

“They’re all slow and boring, anything else would be too hard on my back,” Peridot replied with a frown.

“Slow’s fine by me,” Amethyst offered her arm to Peridot. “Teacups good with you?”

Peridot took Amethyst’s arm. “Yeah, but first I want to get an elephant ear.”

“Elephant ear?”

“Funnel cake? Is that what you call them?”

Amethyst softly laughed. “No clue, just point it out when you see it.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot scribbled something in her notebook as she ate her deep-fried dough. Determination was clear on her face.

“So, whatcha writing?” Powdered sugar fell from Amethyst’s snack.

“I’m trying to figure out how to win the ring toss,” Peridot replied. “There has to be a way, the rings are obviously big enough since you got one on there. It’s just a matter of technique.”

With that, Peridot returned to her writing.

“I could always distract Mr. Smiley again. He’s pretty out of it so it should work.”

“I want to win fair and square; games are my thing. And I’m not the type to quit.”

“Yeah, I kinda guessed that,” Amethyst chuckled. “Is this something you do a lot? Find a problem then plan out a solution?”

Peridot nodded. “It’s probably what’s kept me in one piece all these years. I plan everything, even while I was recovering in the hospital I planned who to call, where to stay, how to make more money, and so on.”

“Geeze, I’ve never been a planner. I’ve always flown by the seat of my pants. You’re really something.”

Peridot giggled then looked over her notes, she nodded with satisfaction. “This should work. Ah, but first we can ride a few things. I am actually looking forward to the teacups.”

Amethyst smiled. “Alright,” she remembered something. “Need a hand?”

“Please,” Peridot accepted the offer.

 

* * *

 

They took their seats in the giant teacups. Amethyst was very clearly excited, she had a glint in her eye.

“I’m gonna spin you so fast you’ll hurl.” The glint vanished. “You can spin, right?”

“Yes, I can spin, it’s bumps I have to to worry about,” Peridot replied with a sigh.

The glint returned.

“Awesome.”

The ride started and true to her word, Amethyst turned the inner circle as fast as she could laughing the whole time as Peridot clutched onto the sides screaming.

Just as she started to consider slowing down, Amethyst saw a huge smile on Peridot’s face.

Yeah, Peridot’s having fun.

Before they knew it, the ride was over. Amethyst helped a dizzy and especially wobbly Peridot off of the ride.

“Just how much hairspray do you use?” Amethyst asked, surprised by Peridot’s hair still being in one piece.

“Not as much as you’d think, it’s just very-” Peridot was cut off by a gag, “-strong. Boy, you weren’t kidding. That’s the closest I’ve come to throwing up in a long time.”

“But you had fun, right?”

Peridot’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Let’s do it again!”

And that’s how Amethyst learned that when Peridot likes something she’ll do it over and over again.

Not that she’s complaining, the goal for the night was to get Peridot to have fun.

Eventually Amethyst managed to get Peridot to go on rides other than the teacups. By the time they finished it was almost midnight.

Peridot turned on her phone. “Oh gee, I completely lost track of time.”

Amethyst yawned. “Yeah, ‘bout time we head home. You gonna give the ring toss another shot?”

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Mr. Smiley? You’re still here?”

A grin was plastered on his face. “Of course! I almost never leave!” He laughed an empty laugh.

“Don’t you also run the arcade?” Against her better judgement Peridot asked another question.

“Yep,” the grin remained on Mr. Smiley’s face. “Why do you think it’s so close to the amusement park?”

An awkward mood hung in the air as Peridot slid her money across the counter. She had no idea what to say.

Peridot took a deep breath, she couldn’t let Mr. Smiley’s situation rattle her.

It’s all in the wrist.

She made the first toss and it landed. She felt hope bubble up in her chest and the excitement escaped from her mouth.

Numbers two, three, and four were also successful.

She glanced over at Amethyst who looked stunned.

Five and six were successes.

Amethyst started pumping her fists and chanting.

There was a sudden gust but Peridot accounted for it. In fact, it was the boost she needed to reach the back.

Eight… nine.

Peridot’s hands were shaking, Mr. Smiley was snoring, Amethyst was losing her mind.

“I won’t blame you if you say 'no’ because it’s been stars knows where but uh,” Peridot blushed. “Would you kiss this last ring for luck?”

A scientist shouldn’t rely on luck of all things but Peridot wanted all the help she could get. The very end is when things always go wrong.

Amethyst kissed the ring without any hesitation. “Go get 'em Per.”

Peridot shook out her hands and took a deep breath.

She threw the ring and it hit the neck of the bottle.

Peridot’s heart never shattered so quickly

It also never recovered so quickly either, somehow the impact was just so that the ring flipped up and onto the bottle.

“Ten! That’s ten!” Excitement completely overtook Peridot. She hit the bell far harder than she should have.

Mr. Smiley woke with a start and looked at the bottles.

“That’s ten alright,” he grabbed the giant green alien plush wearing a bowtie and hat then gave it to Peridot. “Here you go, kid.”

Normally Peridot would take offense to being called a kid but she was too busy hugging her new plush to care.

“Give it up for Pea-pod!” Amethyst cheered.

“No, give it up for us,” Peridot hugged Amethyst.

“Aw Peri,” Amethyst said hoping the dark would hide her blush. “It was your brain that figured it out.”

“Yes, but you gave that last ring a lucky kiss,” Peridot did see the blush and found it very cute. “Normally everything falls apart at the end. That kiss is what did it.”

Amethyst smirked. “Alright, I guess we can call it a team effort.”

Amethyst walked Peridot to her car and gave her a big strong hug next to it.

“I had fun today, hope you did too.”

Peridot giggled. “I absolutely did! Thank you for inviting me.”

“Yeah, definitely. We should do it again some time, just the two of us.”

“I’d really like that.”

Amethyst opened the car door for Peridot. “I might have to pick you up next time, incase you win more giant prizes.”

“Yeah, we probably should do that,” Peridot absent-mindedly said as she fit her toy into the passenger seat.

“Call you later,” Peridot waved.

“Yep, look forward to it,” Amethyst waved back.

Peridot drove off.

 

* * *

 

After telling Lapis all about her day and getting ready for bed Peridot collapsed onto her firm mattress, appreciating being off of her feet.

She glanced at the four-and-a-half foot tall alien lying next to her and smiled.

That was a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need a nice night out with your girlfriend, be it at a restaurant, a walk on the beach, or in what looks like an abandoned warehouse full of shouting people.  
> Oh, a wrestling match? That could be fun.

Peridot laughed at her phone conversation with Amethyst.

“Yeah, I’ll bet. You know, club soda should get that out.”

_Amethyst chuckled. “Don’t worry, Pearl’s got it covered. You’re such a mom.”_

“Nah, well, maybe a little. I just like helping people, and on a budget whenever possible.”

_“You’re an expert penny pincher, aren’t you?”_

“I have to be, I’ve had a lot of debt to pay off.”

_“College?” This conversation took an unusually serious turn._

Peridot sighed. “That along with losing my home and belongings. And medical bills aren’t exactly cheap, I also had to buy a new foot, cane and glasses.”

_“Prosthetics aren’t covered?”_

“Nope, they’re considered cosmetic. Which is really dumb in my case because I need mine to walk. Anyway, I’m mostly recovered, my home being insured and the lawsuit helped keep it from being absolutely horrible. I’m probably not that much worse off than the average American now.”

_“Well, it’s a good thing you’re getting out of the hole.”_

“Yep, slowly but surely,” Peridot’s voice softened. “Thanks for listening.”

_“Don’t mention it,” Amethyst hummed in thought. “Hey! Why don’t we have a night of fun tomorrow?”_

“Tomorrow should be okay,” Peridot replied.

_“Great, I’ll pick you up at eight.”_

“That late?”

_“Oh yeah, isn’t your bedtime like, nine?” Peridot could hear Amethyst’s wink._

“It’s eleven.”

_“I promise it’ll be worth it.”_

“Okay, I can stay up late one night.”

_“Cool, and you might wanna leave your hoodie at home. It gets pretty hot where we’re going.”_

“I look forward to seeing what you have planned.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot listened to Amethyst’s advice and didn’t wear her hoodie, she instead wore shorts and a t-shirt. She did bring another layer just incase though. 

“What?”

Amethyst didn’t even realize she was staring at Peridot’s legs, her prosthesis at first and then at the large surgical scar running down her right knee.

“Sorry Per, I’m probably the last person who should stare at that type of thing,” Amethyst said in reference to the scars on her lip and chest.

“Everybody stares at first, it’s fine,” Peridot decided to change the subject. “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Amethyst replied in a sing-song voice.

“Don’t forget, I can’t dance,” Peridot’s speculation the previous night led her to believe that they’re going to a club; crowds of people get hot.

“No dancing required, maybe some cheering, but no dancing.”

“Is it a sports game? Wait, no, those usually happen during the day…”

Amethyst suppressed a laugh. “You’re not as wrong as you think.”

Peridot furrowed her brow in thought.

“Aw c’mon, you’ll find out soon,” Amethyst found this newly discovered trait awful amusing and pretty darn cute.

“But it’s fun to guess,” Peridot had a very tiny pout.

Or maybe it was just a trick of the lighting, Peridot’s mouth is naturally set in a frown.

Amethyst decided it wasn’t the lighting.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at an old warehouse. Amethyst carried a duffel bag with her as she led Peridot to a place to sit, making sure she was close to the ring.

“You stay there and if I don’t show up don’t go looking for me,” Amethyst quickly gave Peridot instructions; when she saw Peridot’s anxious expression she added, “trust me.”

The words ‘trust me’ have often meant nothing when said to Peridot over the course of her life but something about Amethyst made it believable.

“Okay, I trust you.” 

A half hour passed and Amethyst wasn’t back. Peridot almost went looking for her but decided to take Amethyst’s word.

The lights dimmed and Mr. Smiley’s voice boomed out.

 “Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight is a very special night. It is the title match! Will Purple Puma take the championship belt from Shark-O-Mania?”

So Amethyst took Peridot to wrestling match.

Peridot looked around for Amethyst but couldn’t make out much of anything in the dark.

How could she miss the title match?

“-and here he is folks, the roughest toughest fighter in all the jungle, **PUURRRPLE PUUUMAAA!”**

A spotlight shone on a surprisingly short wrestler, probably only five feet tall, with long lavender hair, he wore a blueish purple mask and a black leotard, purple body paint covered his body apart from the mounds of lavender chest hair.

Wait a minute…

“Amethyst?” The word left Peridot’s mouth before she knew it.

She heard Lars make a dismissive noise next to her. “That’s not Amethyst, that’s Purple Puma. He’s a big buff dude who pounds people. Amethyst is some… short fat old lady who eats all our stale donuts.”

“Okay, first, Amethyst isn’t old, second, are we not looking at the same wrestler? Purple Puma  _is_ short and has the same build as Amethyst. They’re the same person!”

“Sadie says that too, you’re both nuts!”

Peridot sighed, talking to Lars is draining. “Alright, if that’s what you want to believe.”

Lars slightly spoiled Peridot’s mood but she decided to not let him distract her any further so she watched the wrestling match.

It was amazing. Purple Puma had Shark-O-Mania in a headlock and lifted him above his head and slammed him down to the mat. Peridot watched Purple Puma’s muscles move and flex.

No wonder she feels so safe in those arms, they’re strong enough to keep anybody away.

Oof, and a heavy blow to Shark-O-Mania’s chest from Purple Puma’s elbow. Shark-O-Mania stumbled backwards and looked like he was in some serious pain. Apparently this was more of a brawl than a wrestling match.

Shark-O-Mania was down for the count and Purple Puma took in the cheers of the crowd.

Ah, so Amethyst is a heel.

Not surprising considering her mains.

“And three!” Mr. Smiley’s voice brought Peridot back to reality. “And we have a new champion! Puuurrrrple Puuuumaaaa!”

Lars nearly knocked Peridot’s glasses off when he got out of his chair to cheer.

“So smarty-pants, how is _that_ Amethyst?”

“Wow he’s dense,” Peridot thought. But she decided not to say anything, Lars was happy.

 

* * *

 

After everybody left the stands, which were actually a bunch of folding chairs, Peridot went to where the makeshift dressing rooms were.

“Sorry little lady,” the ever-busy Mr. Smiley guarded Purple Puma’s room, “nobody gets to see Purple Puma outside the ring.”

“If it’s Peri let her through,” Amethyst’s voice came from the room.

“Who’s Peri?” Not surprisingly, Mr. Smiley didn’t remember her.

“She won the ring toss,” Amethyst replied.

Mr. Smiley’s smile slightly faltered. “Oh yeah, how could I forget a face like that?”

Peridot had mixed feelings… Being remembered is great and all, but _why_ was her face so memorable? 

“Sorry about that,” Mr. Smiley stepped to the side. “You’re Purple Puma’s special guest.”

“WHAT?!” Peridot heard Lars shout, she thought he went home. “Why does she get to go in? I’m Purple Puma’s biggest fan! This is her first time here!”

“Don’t ask me, I’m just the doorman, all I know is that she’s his guest.”

Peridot could still hear Lars’ shouts as she closed the curtain to Amethyst’s room.

The second she stepped in, Peridot saw Amethyst in just her sports bra and briefs, her hair was wet and most of the body paint was gone. 

Peridot blushed and covered her eyes. “Um, would you like me to step out? You know, so you can get dressed.“

Amethyst chuckled. “Nah, it’s good.” Peridot had turned around with her cheeks on fire, it didn’t really sit well with Amethyst but she pushed the feeling aside for the sake of conversation. “But you seem uncomfortable, pants or shirt?”

“Huh?”

“Which should I put on so you’ll look at me?”

“Oh, um, pants.”

Amethyst put on her jeans. “Alright, my bottoms are on.”

“Thank you,” Peridot turned around. “You were great out there! Why didn’t you tell me you wrestle sooner?”

“It’s kind of a secret, Pearl doesn’t like me fighting and Garnet’s surprisingly bad at keeping things to herself. Just you, Steven, and Mr. Smiley know.”

“Oh, I appreciate you letting me in on your secret,” Peridot’s eye landed on the Purple Puma costume. “So how did you decide on that character?”

“Pumas are cool,” this reply slightly disappointed Peridot. “And I figured if I paint myself purple and enter as a hairy dude nobody’ll figure out it’s me. Besides, I think a guy just suits Purple Puma.”

“And I take it you’ve always liked heels.”

Peridot’s lack of a reaction pleased Amethyst. “You bet! They’ve been my favourite wrestlers since I was a kid!”

The feeling from earlier was still nagging at Amethyst.

She frowned. “Hey Peri. Um, not that it really matters but why were you so uncomfortable with seeing me in my underwear? Is it…” Amethyst sighed.

“What? Uh, well, I’m just generally uncomfortable with seeing people naked. And it felt a bit inappropriate because we’ve never even kissed.”

“So it’s not because I’m fat and covered in stretch marks?” Relief started to fill Amethyst’s body.

“Amethyst, you wear tight clothes all the time, your build is not exactly a surprise and I actually find it highly appealing. Besides, _I_ have stretch marks, they’re not a big deal.”

“You have stretch marks?”

“Yeah, on my hips and thighs. I hit puberty and well, those areas got a lot bigger.”

“So you just don’t like seeing people naked and thought we should kiss before you see me in my undies?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“I can fix the kissing thing at least,” Amethyst winked and then walked up to Peridot, their noses were close together.

Amethyst smiled and Peridot looked a little nervous. Amethyst put her hand on the small of Peridot’s back and put her lips near her partner’s. Peridot slightly opened her mouth and sloppily mushed her lips against Amethyst’s.

They parted and Amethyst looked pretty disappointed.

Peridot shyly chuckled. “Maybe this is a good time to mention that I’ve never kissed somebody on the lips before.”

Amethyst’s body shook as she tried not to laugh. “I could tell.”

Peridot started to laugh. “That was your worst kiss ever, wasn’t it?”

“Not the worst,” Amethyst gave in and started to chuckle. “It was down there though.”

“Hopefully this is something that can be practiced.”

“Oh trust me, it can be. My first kiss was pretty bad too.”

“What a relief,” Peridot smirked. “While researching tongue splitting I read that it can enhance kissing,” she blushed, “it’d be nice to reap that benefit.”

“I guess we’ll just need to practice then,” Amethyst said slyly.

She once again embraced Peridot who did look less awkward. Amethyst decided to take it a bit slow this time, she rested her forehead on her partner’s. Peridot made the first move, copying what Amethyst did on their first attempt, a smart move. Amethyst expertly closed the gap. Peridot’s movements were still clumsy but more confident and she did imitate Amethyst’s technique which helped; without the distraction of Peridot not having a clue what to do Amethyst felt that peculiar bump on Peridot’s lip. They wordlessly agreed that it’s a bit too early for tongue kissing so they separated.

Peridot immediately started giggling with a blush spread across her face.

That’s new… “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t know,” Peridot replied, still giggling away. “I just get like this sometimes.”

“Okay weirdo,” Amethyst smiled at the newly discovered quirk of her partner’s. Amethyst licked her thumb. “Hold still for a sec, you’ve got some purple on you.”

Amethyst rubbed her thumb on Peridot’s bottom lip, the purple lipstick eventually came off.

“And you say I’m like a mom,” Peridot said as soon as Amethyst took her thumb away.

“The hell kinda mom kisses her kid on the lips?”

Peridot laughed. “No, I mean the thumb-licking thing. I’ve seen lots of moms do that.”

Seen?

Amethyst didn’t want to ruin the mood so she added that to the list of things to ask Peridot about.

“I know,” Amethyst tried to think of another topic. “Hey actually, how much purple do I still have one me?”

Peridot gave Amethyst a once-over. “You’re mostly clean, you still have some paint on your face which I can clean off if you want.”

“Can you? Thanks.” Amethyst wet some paper towel and handed them to Peridot.

The frown of concentration Peridot wore as she scrubbed away was pretty cute. When she hit a stubborn spot she stuck out that appealing tongue of hers.

Amethyst’s face felt warm thanks to the new knowledge about split tongues.

“Are you okay?” The frown returned but it was one of concern. “Do you need to sit down?”

“Oh, uh, no, just… thinking about things,” Amethyst turned so the side of her face covered by bangs faced Peridot.

“Well, as long as you’re okay.”

“God she’s dense,” immediately went though Amethyst’s mind.

“You’re all clean now,” Peridot said with an almost catlike smile, the bump on her lip actually made it cuter somehow.

That and the slight lopsidedness.

“Okay,” Peridot threw out the paper towel, “how about you put your shirt on so we can leave?”

“Oh,” Amethyst didn’t even realize she was still topless, she put her tanktop back on, “yeah, let’s get going.”

“Do you have anything else planned for tonight?”

“Remember when I said I’m not a planner? I just kinda invited you on a whim. I didn’t exactly plan anything for after this.”

“That’s fine,” Peridot began to think. “Well, Mr. Smiley’s here so we can’t go to the arcade, I just ate so pizza isn’t really an option either…”

“Actually,” Amethyst interrupted Peridot then put her hand on her shoulder, “you up for ice cream? I’ve been meaning to take you to this one place.”

“Ice cream would be nice,” Peridot replied with a light in her eye.

“Ice cream it is then!”

They left the warehouse and got into Amethyst’s car.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst parked infront of the Big Donut.

“Now, it’ll be a bit of a walk, it’s this tiny place on the boardwalk,” Amethyst told Peridot who was putting her hoodie on.

“Yeah, I’m okay with walking,” Peridot briefly considered grabbing her cane. “Actually, how far is it?”

“It’s two stores down from the arcade,” Amethyst replied.

“I need to get in the trunk then.”

Amethyst opened the trunk and Peridot got her cane, she then joined Amethyst.

“Ready to go?” Amethyst offered her arm.

Peridot nodded and took hold of Amethyst’s arm appreciating the quiet understanding.

“So what kind of ice cream do they have?”

“All sorts,” Amethyst replied. “My fave’s the Resse’s, you really need to try it.”

“I unfortunately have a peanut allergy.”

“How allergic are you? Like, you the kind of allergic that can’t even be in the same room or…”

“Don’t worry, you can have the Reese’s ice cream, as long as you don’t breathe directly into my face,” Peridot smiled. “Thanks for asking, most people don’t think to.”

“No problem,” Amethyst returned the smile. “But maybe I won’t have it after all so I can kiss you goodnight.”

Amethyst winked and Peridot laughed.

“Stars, Amethyst, what kind of kissing fiend did I unleash?”

“You gotta practice somehow.”

Peridot lightly smacked Amethyst on the bicep. “Well, it’s your choice. My choice will be mint chocolate chip if they have it.”

“Eeeewww, you’re one of _those_ people,” Amethyst teased Peridot.

“Oh you’re one to talk, surely you remember that monstrosity of a crépe,” Peridot teased back.

“That wasn’t a monstrosity, that was a masterpiece.”

“Alright, the next time I talk to my grandma I’ll tell her all about your ‘masterpiece.’”

“Before you know it, it’ll be the next big thing in Alberta.”

Peridot burst out laughing. “Yeah, sure. Oh and my grandma’s in Quebec. That’s where all of my born-Canadian relatives live.”

“Huh, really?”

“Mm-hmm, my mother’s the only one from the French side of the family tree to move away from there,” Peridot shrugged. “She saw a business opportunity and took it. But hey, I wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t.”

Peridot’s face lacked the warmness it had when she talked about her grandma.

“Well, glad she left then, I love spending time with you.”

“I love being around you too.”

Amethyst jerked her arm without realizing it. “Here it is!”

She pointed at a tiny colourful store.

The couple entered and walked up to the counter taking in the large selection of frozen deliciousness. The temptation of the Reese’s ice cream was almost too much for Amethyst to resist, but she did and ordered the cookie dough instead. The selection was larger than Peridot expected, her eye eventually settled on an orange and black swirled ice cream, she gasped and ordered that.

“I haven’t seen tiger tail ice cream since moving here,” Peridot was very excited about her choice. “I think you’ll like this, it’s orange and black licorice flavoured.” Peridot offered her cone to Amethyst.

“Sounds weird, I’m in!” Amethyst took a big lick, it was a very unique combination, it was actually something _she’d_ make. “This is really good.” She offered her cone to Peridot. “Here, try mine.”

Peridot licked the offered ice cream, every flavour was perfect and the cookie dough chunks were just the right size.

“I might have to get this one next time.”

“Wanna trade?”

“No, I’m looking forward to this taste of childhood.”

Tiger tail ice cream didn’t taste quite as delicious as Peridot remembered but it was still good. Nice, creamy, and very high quality. Peridot was definitely going to come back.

 

* * *

 

After finishing the cold treat Amethyst drove Peridot home.

“I had a great time,” Peridot said then gave Amethyst a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Amethyst kissed Peridot’s jawline. “Glad you did.” She spoke while her chin was still nestled on Peridot’s shoulder, “Want me to help you out of the car?”

“No, I’ll be fine, good night.”

“Night Per.”

Peridot got out of the car, grabbed her cane and walked to the door of her duplex. As soon as she unlocked it she waved to Amethyst.

Max immediately ran up to Peridot with his tail wagging like crazy. Peridot giggled and knelt down to pet him.

“Yes, hello, I know, I’m never out this late,” Peridot made sure to keep her voice down, the house was dark meaning Lapis was likely sleeping.

The excited pup wriggled his way onto Peridot’s lap.

“Are you telling me it’s bedtime?” She cooed as she stood up with Max in her arms, he did a little bark in response. “Okay, we’ll go to bed now.”

Peridot gave Max a kiss on the head then dropped him off on her bed so she could get ready to sleep.

That night she dreamt of Purple Puma and ice cream.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Care and self care are important. It can be hard to keep that in mind. Especially when you feel that you have a lot of wrongdoings to make up for. Sometimes a person has to step back and recover before they can continue to aid others.
> 
> And sometimes it takes a friendly voice to remind one of that.

“You alright?”

Amethyst’s voice brought Peridot back to reality. “Huh? What?”

“You’ve been so quiet and you have such a distant look in your eye,” Amethyst elaborated. “We’re cuddled infront of the TV and you’re staring at a plant.”

“I’m okay,” Peridot didn’t sound it. “Just stressed. But I’m always stressed so it’s not a big deal.”

“Sounds like a big deal to me. You wanna talk about it?”

After much hesitation Peridot gave Amethyst a “maybe.”

“I’m all ears,” Amethyst tried to look Peridot in the eyes but it was hard with Peridot lying on top of her.

“One of my aunts-” just as Peridot was about to confide in Amethyst, Lapis walked into the house looking upset.

Peridot quickly got off of Amethyst, “Actually, I’ll talk later, Lapis needs me right now.” 

Amethyst grabbed Peridot’s hand. “But you need to talk, she can wait.”

Peridot glanced towards Lapis’ room with an unsure expression. “I don’t know, I have a better handle on things than she does. I have to be there for her.”

She didn’t like it, but Amethyst let Peridot go.

She’s an outsider after all.

Turns out Lapis was very loud when she was upset, it sounded like her latest girlfriend wasn’t working out. Peridot wasn’t even remotely audible but Lapis’ frustrated replies sure were.

This put an uncomfortable feeling in Amethysts gut.

Ten minutes later Peridot returned looking even more stressed and distant.

“Peri…” Amethyst didn’t know what to say. “C’mon, sit. Let’s talk.”

As if he sensed Peridot’s distress Max ran into the room. She picked him up and buried her face into his fur. She then sat down next to Amethyst.

Amethyst wasn’t really sure where to begin, she put her hand on Peridot’s knee. “Does this happen a lot?”

“Not a lot,” Peridot replied sounding even worse than before, “just when she get a new girlfriend.”

So yes, a lot.

“It’s fine.”

Peridot says that a lot.

“I dunno Peri, you look like you need a break from this,” Amethyst tried to think of an escape for Peridot.

“Probably,” Peridot actually admitted it. “But Lapis needs me.”

“It might be good for you both. You can get away from some stress and she can start figuring out how to deal with things without you. I mean, you’re gonna move out some day.”

Right?

“I suppose I see your point and I guess I could prepare enough food to last her a couple days.”

“Or she could cook for herself.”

Peridot shook her head. “She can barely take care of herself when she’s like this, her face was so thin when I moved in. Somebody needs to cook for her.”

“She’ll survive.”

“I know, I just worry. I owe her so much. She’s giving me a place to stay, and I can’t even afford to pay half the rent. Helping her is the least I can do.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t good for you, you’re falling apart.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” not in Amethyst’s opinion, “I’m just having a rough go of it right now. It’ll blow over. It always does.”

Things still weren’t sitting well with Amethyst. “I won’t force you to do anything but you should really consider that break.”

“I will consider it.”

They cuddled together but the mood wasn’t right. Things were still on Amethyst’s mind. “You still haven’t talked about what was stressing you out earlier. You still wanna?”

Peridot didn’t answer, Amethyst sighed. “Alright, you don’t have to.”

The rest of their evening together wasn’t as easy-going as it normally would be.

Hopefully next time will be better…

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t better.

Peridot didn’t seem as worn-out which was good but Lapis’ mood was even worse. Peridot comforted her and came back looking awful.

That isn’t good, it’s not healthy.

Amethyst decided to be firm.

“Does Lapis ever even thank you for doing that?”

“Well, she never says the words ‘thank you’ but I can tell she appreciates it. And she also listens to me and occasionally gives me advice. It’s not as one-sided as you seem to think. This is just a bit of a rough patch.”

“Pretty long for a rough patch.”

“Yeah, they don’t usually last this long,” Peridot couldn’t help agreeing. “It’ll be fine.”

Amethyst looked Peridot firmly in the eyes. “I said I wouldn’t force you to do anything and I mean it. But if this is still going on a week from now I’m gonna pester you about that break.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” Peridot looked almost as if nobody’s ever cared about her.

“You’re not the only one that worries.”

Amethyst pulled Peridot into a hug. “Please, take care of yourself.”

 

* * *

 

A week later Amethyst got a phone call from Peridot.

“Hey Peri, what’s up?”

_Peridot sighed. “I need that break.”_

Amethyst debated asking for more info but Peridot’s tone told her that it’s not something that should be discussed over the phone. “Yeah, sure. Why don’t you stay over for a couple days?”

_“What about Max? Don’t you have a cat?”_

“Lion? Nah, he’s a stray Steven’s tamed. He rarely over.”

_“Alright, I’d need you to pick me up; I don’t want to strand Lapis.”_

“No problem, I can pick you up later today if you want. Or tomorrow, any time really.”

_“Tomorrow will be best. I have some prep work to do.”_

“…You’re cooking meals for Lapis, aren’t you?”

_“Yeah, but you’re right, I won’t always live with Lapis but maybe I should wean her. I’m mostly just doing prep-work for a couple days from now, she can warm up leftovers tomorrow. She’ll have to actually cook after that.”_

Well, it’s a start…

“Okay, pick you up at at ten AM?”

_“That sounds good. See you then.”_

“See ya.”

Amethyst hung up.

So Peridot agreed to take that break on her own.

Things must have been really bad.

 

* * *

 

When Amethyst came over to pick Peridot up Lapis was nowhere to be found.

“She stepped out earlier,” Peridot explained. “She didn’t say where she was going. But it’s not like she’s never done this before.”

Peridot looked concerned but okay otherwise.

What a relief.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep,” Peridot replied. “I’ll need to ride in the back with Max. It’s safer for him that way.”

They got into Amethyst’s car after loading up Peridot’s belongings and drove off.

“I know you want to ask about what happened,” Peridot spoke from the back seat. “It was pretty much the same as what you’ve already seen. I just couldn’t take it anymore, you’re right, it was wearing me out.” Peridot sighed. “Hopefully getting away for a few days will help.”

“It should, sometimes when I get sick of Pearl I go to my hometown for a bit. That helps me.”

“So you’ve been through the same thing?” Peridot was intrigued, Amethyst never talks about herself.

“Not exactly,” Amethyst replied. “My issue with Pearl is that she’s constantly riding my ass.” Amethyst started doing a Pearl impression. “Amethyst, don’t leave your bras lying around. Amethyst, watch your language around Steven. Amethyst, no rough housing. Oh Amethyst, that’s absolutely disgusting, don’t do that ever again.” The impression stopped. “I just get sick of it, y’know.”

“She sounds like the Pearl I knew in college. I almost stepped out on a couple projects because of it. It didn’t help that we had some communication issues due to my dyslexia. It’s not something I can help so you’d think she would’ve been more patient with me.”

“You’re dyslexic?”

That’s news.

“Yeah, you didn’t notice?”

“Well, yeah, some of your texts are a bit jumbled but I figured you were just in a rush.”

“Nope, dyslexic. I try to catch any errors but some always get through.”

“Don’t you code for a living? Doesn’t that make it hard?”

“A little. It’s why I’ll never work for a large company. I can’t do strict deadlines.”

“I can see that, well, hopefully you’ll find a company that understands.”

“A stable income would be nice,” Peridot wanted to immediately write Amethyst’s sentiment off but a little optimism may do her some good.

Neither of them did much more talking on the way to Amethyst’s house.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst helped Peridot bring her luggage into the house. A couple suitcases, her laptop, dog things, books, and some handhelds and games.

Steven met them at the door and practically squealed when he saw Max. “Oh my gosh. He looks like a teddy bear!”

“Yep, cute, isn’t he?” Peridot loves it when kids react that way to Max.

She put Max on the floor and weirdly he stuck next to her. “Go on Max, that’s Steven. Say hi.”

Max stayed put, he cheerfully wagged his tail but he didn’t leave Peridot’s side. Steven called him but he still stayed.

“I’m sorry Steven,” Peridot said with a frown. “He’s very friendly but I’m not doing too well so he’s worried. Max is more than just a cute pet, he has an important job and well, he’s pretty married to his work. I’m sure he’ll play with you later.”

“Okay,” Seven didn’t sound as disappointed as Peridot expected. “Here, I’ll help you carry your stuff.”

He took the dog supplies from Amethyst and brought them to the kitchen.

“So, you want your own room or are we bunking together?” Amethyst asked as her and Peridot walked up the stairs.

Peridot hadn’t even considered the second option. “Would there be enough room for both myself and Max?”

Amethyst didn’t really expect Peridot to agree to sharing a bed. “There should be, my bed’s pretty big.”

“And we’re both pretty tiny. If it doesn’t work out I could always move to the guest room.”

They entered Amethyst’s honestly, kind of disorderly room and Peridot immediately put her things on the floor.

“Um, I don’t have a spare drawer so you can put your clothes in a guest room,” Amethyst didn’t quite expect Peridot to just dump her stuff there, she’s usually so organized.

“It’s alright, I’ve lived out of a suitcase before, and for longer.”

“Okay then,” Amethyst pointed at her recently cleared off desk. “You can can set up your laptop on there if you want.

Peridot did so and Amethyst could tell she was debating getting some work done.

“You can work if you want,” Amethyst said. “I’ll get you when it’s lunch time.”

Peridot nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”

With a wave Amethyst left the room and went down the stairs.

“You never said anything about a dog,” Pearl greeted her at the bottom of the steps wearing a disapproving expression. “You know I don’t like dogs.”

“He’s a tiny little thing, you won’t even notice him.”

“Small dogs are constantly underfoot.”

“Max got special training ‘cause of Peri’s prosthetic, he stays away from feet.”

“And the barking?”

“I’ve never heard him bark,” Amethyst wasn’t in the mood for Pearl’s nagging. “He won’t cause any trouble.”

Pearl pursed her lips. “I don’t understand why it couldn’t stay at home.”

“Nobody’s there to look after him,” Amethyst decided to leave out the part about him being Peridot’s companion animal, it took a bit for Peridot to tell even her.

“Alright,” Pearl conceded, “it can stay but the second it causes trouble it’s going home or to a kennel. I don’t care which.”

“Won’t happen, he’s the best behaved pooch I’ve ever met.”

“It’d better be.”

Amethyst mocked Pearl the second she left the room.

Ugh, the nerve of her.

 

* * *

 

When Peridot saw Pearl at lunch there was a flash of recognition on her face.

“You must be Peridot,” Pearl offered her hand. “Amethyst told me about you, I’m Pearl.”

Peridot looked irritated as she shook Pearl’s hand. “I’m Peridot.”

Garnet waved from the other end of the table. “Garnet.”

The irritated expression vanished. “Nice to meet you Garnet.”

During lunch there was this odd one-sided tension between Peridot and Pearl. Peridot was weirdly passive-aggressive too.

Aside from chiding Steven for giving scraps to Max, Peridot was her usual self with everybody but Pearl.

Amethyst couldn’t help wondering if her stories coloured Peridot’s opinion of Pearl.

She decided to talk to Peridot after lunch.

“She doesn’t remember me.”

Amethyst didn’t even get a chance to start the conversation.

“Who? Pearl?”

“We worked together for years and she doesn’t remember me,” Peridot looked very annoyed.

“Well, Pearl’s not the best with faces,” Amethyst wasn’t really sure what to do, she’s never seen Peridot like this before.

“She punched me in the face and she doesn’t remember me,” Peridot’s voice rose as she spoke. “She’s why I’m missing a tooth!”

That solved that mystery.

Peridot continued, “okay sure, I deserved it, I said some horrible things. But still! That should have at least made in impression!”

“Hold on, what did you say to her?” Amethyst had to get that out of the way, she whispered, “it wasn’t about her being trans, was it?”

Peridot looked offended. “What? No! I admit I used to be a bad person but I was never **deplorable.** I basically said that somebody her age could never be as good with tech as me, I just went on and on about it too. My psychiatrist said, and I agree, that I was likely projecting my issues with my mother onto her since they’re around the same age. Obviously that doesn’t make it right and I did apologize. I’m not mad that she punched me, I’m mad because she forgot about me. We had some good times too.”

Turns out Peridot talked a mile a minute when she was upset. Amethyst couldn’t find a good place to jump in.

Where could she even start? Peridot being a bad person at one point? Her mother issues? Not being mad about getting punched in the face?

“What do you mean you used to be a bad person?” That was probably the most important, if it was _really_ horrible it’d be good to know relatively early on.

The look of genuine shame showed on Peridot’s face. “I had a huge chip on my shoulder, I was under constant pressure from my mother and took it out on others. I was never physically violent but I said said some terrible things and brought a lot of people down.” 

Peridot sighed heavily. “I was awful and when I re-evaluated my life and what I was doing to others I decided to try to make up for it. It’s when I started to prioritize everybody over myself. Now I do everything I can to make people feel good,” 

She looked so worn out. “I need to make up for how horrible I was.”

Amethyst gently hugged Peridot. “Peri, just learning from your mistakes is good enough. You don’t need to give every part of yourself away to make amends.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you broke up with me,” Peridot’s voice was strained.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I love you too much to leave over stuff you did in the past.”

“You love me?”

Amethyst didn’t even realize that she’d never said it before. “Yeah, I really love you.”

“I love you too,” Peridot barely managed to say this before breaking down.

They embraced in the kitchen, Peridot’s been bottling up her tears for god knows how long. She cried and cried into Amethyst’s shoulder. Sometimes quiet’s best so Amethyst just rubbed Peridot’s back as she finally let down her shield.

Unbeknownst to them, Garnet saw the whole thing. She made sure nobody went into the kitchen until they were finished.

Amethyst was the first to speak after they separated. “Feeling better?”

Peridot nodded. “I have a headache now but my chest feels lighter.”

“Crying’s good sometimes.”

“Yeah, thank you Amethyst.”

“Any time,” Amethyst hugged Peridot.

After being assured that nobody could tell that she was just crying, Peridot agreed to join everyone in the living room.

Steven looked a bit concerned but didn’t say anything and Pearl took a good look at Peridot as of she was trying to place her face.

The large group watched TV together.

 

* * *

 

After a few rounds of Kitchin Kalamity everybody went to bed.

Peridot rummaged through her duffel bag and couldn’t find what she was looking for.

“Do you have any makeup remover I could use?”

“You wear makeup?” Automatically left Amethyst’s mouth. “Um, yeah, it should be on my bathroom counter.”

It took a little bit for Peridot to leave the washroom wearing her night clothes. And something other than her plugs was missing…

Her eyebrows!

“You’re naturally blonde?” Amethyst knew that was a bit of a strong reaction. “Isn’t your dad Asian?”

“He is, it’s incredibly rare but this is just how my genetics worked out,” Peridot didn’t seem too bothered by Amethyst’s reaction. “I think I look kind of scary when I don’t colour them.”

“So how do you colour them? It doesn’t look like you use a pencil, I’ve seen that plenty of times.”

“When I was younger I heard you could use mascara to do so, so I do.”

Amethyst snickered. “You use mascara on your eyebrows?”

“Sure do,” Peridot replied as she sat next to Amethyst, she removed her prosthesis. “The black’s probably too dark but I have so much of it.”

“Nah, the black looks good, and so does au naturale by the way." 

“You know me so of course _you_ don’t think it looks scary. I’m thinking from the perspective of a stranger.”

“I dunno, both’s good if you ask me,” Amethyst was trying not to stare at Peridot’s residual limb, she’s never actually seen one in person before. "So, now I gotta put lotion on your back, right?”

“If you don’t mind,” the reply came while Peridot had her tanktop halfway off. “I think I might’ve forgotten to put some on my neck so I’d like you to do that too.”

“No sweat,” Amethyst squirted some lotion into her hand then got her first look at Peridot’s back.

It was worse looking than she expected, she thought it would look like Peridot’s face or arms.

“You’ll have to rub harder than that.”

Amethyst had no idea how long she was staring for. “I haven’t started yet.”

“Oh good,” Peridot laughed. “I was worried I lost more feeling than I thought.” The laughter stopped. “I can do it if you’ve changed your mind.”

“Wha- no- I just… I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. You’re so tiny and your back looks kinda raw in parts.”

“Does it? I’ve never gotten a good look at it. Don’t worry though, I’m fully healed. It’s impossible for you to hurt me.” Peridot rubbed her upper-arm quite hard to convince Amethyst of that.

Amethyst spread lotion onto the scarred surface, she started off very gentle but as she got used it she rubbed a bit harder.

“Am I doing okay?” Nerves were clear in Amethyst’s voice.

“Yeah, this feels really nice actually,” Amethyst could hear Peridot smiling.

“Glad to hear it,” inspiration hit Amethyst. “Maybe I can massage you tomorrow night.”

“I’ve never had a massage before,” somehow, Amethyst wasn’t surprised. “I hear they’re nice. I’d like to try one.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Alright, be sure to remind me.”

With a quick pass over Peridot’s neck, Amethyst was finished. Right before they lied down Peridot put some lotion her stump.

“It’s kinda funny, since you needed a new foot I assumed your old one melted.”

“It did melt a bit but there’s lots of layers between my socket and leg. I’m kind of glad for that, I image removing plastic that’s melted to you would really hurt.” Peridot frowned with thought. “Well, I was passed out so I guess I wouldn’t have felt it anyway.”

It was interesting how open Peridot was about her burns and the fire but not much else that she’s been through. 

Almost like- Oh no…

But Peridot’s had a rough day so Amethyst put off asking about it.

Peridot got settled in on her back and Max curled up on her stomach. 

Amethyst lied next to them.

“Would it be alright if we talked a bit more?”

“Ah, that’s right, you’re never in bed this early. Sure, we can talk.” Peridot lifted her left leg. “I like to let the lotion soak in before I put my sock on anyway.”

Amethyst rested her head on Peridot’s chest while she tried to think of a topic.

Something didn’t sound right…

“So Peri, how’re you liking the new Pokémon cartoon?”

“It’s so fun and cute!” The reply was more than enthusiastic. “I was worried because it was advertised as having ‘a laugh a minute.’ I like comedy but more in moderation.”

“I get that. So, any highlights? I’m still not sure if I wanna watch it.”

“Ash’s Rowlet was raised by a really wonderful family of Pikipek and its evolutionary line. I loved seeing it. Oh but the poor dear, he’s always dozing off because he’s nocturnal but was raised by a diurnal family.” Peridot laughed, it sounded fine out of her mouth but her chest rattled a little.

Amethyst ignored it as they talked more Pokémon.

But the sound didn’t go away. “Are you getting sick?”

“No, why?” Peridot looked down at Amethyst with those curious silver eyes of hers, another beautiful result of weird genetics.

“Your breathing just sounds, I dunno, rough?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s just the lung damage,” Peridot was so non-chalant. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” Amethyst decided to take Peridot’s word for it. “You’d tell me if you were sick, right?”

“Of course, you’d be the first to know, well, third after myself and Max. He picks up on that type of thing before I do.”

“Little guy’s perceptive,” with a smile Amethyst patted Max on the head and he grumbled a bit. “Oops, guess he’s telling me we should be asleep.”

Peridot smiled. “Yeah, we’re on a schedule. So if you don’t mind,” with a surprising amount of flexibility Peridot slipped a sock onto her stump. “I’d like to go to sleep.”

“Alright, night Peri.”

“Goodnight Amethyst.”

They gave each other a quick kiss goodnight before Amethyst turned off the lamp.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apart from the awkwardness surrounding Pearl, Peridot was enjoying her stay with Amethyst. They talked, Peridot got a lot off her chest, and Amethyst accepted her despite what she’s done. Things were actually pretty great.  
> But while getting paper to help with a school project Peridot finds an old photo and some old feelings come back to the surface.

Light filtered into the room and blinded Peridot.

Which she found odd because her room has blackout curtains.

It was when she heard Amethyst snoring next to her that she remembered she wasn’t home.

Peridot was pinned under both Max and Amethyst so she couldn’t budge. She really had to pee though so she decided to wake Amethyst up.

“Huh, what?” Amethyst wasn’t exactly an early riser.

“I need to get out of bed.”

“Oh, sure,” Amethyst sat up then passed Peridot’s prosthesis to her.

“Thanks,” Peridot put her foot on.

Peridot didn’t take long in the washroom and when she returned she decided that she could sleep in for one day. She settled back into bed and Max immediately curled up on her tummy and Amethyst’s head went back on her chest.

Peridot chuckled, having her girlfriend next to her felt so right.

She could get used to this.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m just really happy,” Peridot replied.

Peridot felt Amethyst’s head shift as she smiled.

They ended up sleeping until ten.

 

* * *

 

Neither of them bothered changing before eating a late breakfast of cereal.

Pearl looked at Peridot’s ensemble disapprovingly. “Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to walk around in your underwear?”

“These boxers are basically shorts,” Peridot replied with a slightly irritated frown.

Amethyst chimed in, “aw, c’mon P, they’re just goofy boxers. Not like she’s walking around in a thong.”

Both Pearl and Peridot blushed.

Pearl spoke, “I suppose they’re relatively tame.” She decided to change the subject. “Did you two make plans for today?”

Peridot and Amethyst glanced at each other and shrugged.

“I have a lot of work to do,” Peridot replied. “I slacked off yesterday.” 

“You’ll have time to watch TV with me later though? I was thinking we’d just relax today,” Amethyst said.

“Of course, I’ll work for a few hours in the morning, then do a few more tonight. We’ll have plenty of time to curl up infront of the TV.”

“Oh awesome, I think we should watch Jem, I bet you’ll love it, you’re into 80’s cartoons.”

“That sounds nice.”

Pearl cleared her throat interrupting the conversation.

“Steven’s friend, Connie, is coming over today. I have errands to run so you two need to keep and eye on them.”

“Alright,” Amethyst was resting her chin on her hand, “I don’t get why they need a babysitter though.”

“Connie’s parents ask that of us,” Pearl replied. “You know they worry.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Ugh, yeah I remember.”

“So when does she get here?” Peridot asked.

“She’ll be here at noon,” Pearl replied. “But I want you two presentable before then.”

And with that, Pearl left the room.

“Yeesh, I think she’s gotten worse since college,” Peridot whispered to Amethyst.

Who chuckled. “Yeah, that’s Pearl. She’s just especially picky when it comes to Steven. Connie’s his first friend his age and she doesn’t want to mess that up.”

“That makes sense, but I have to say that I’m surprised. Steven’s very friendly.”

“He gets along best with older teens and people your age for some reason.”

“Ah, I was actually like that too.”

Amethyst winked. “So that’s why you’re into older woman.”

Peridot laughed. “Wouldn’t surprise me.” She stood up. “Well, I have to start getting ready, my morning routine takes a while. _Some_ of us need to put in effort to look cool.”

Peridot stuck out her tongue and Amethyst nudged her in the stomach.

“Your hair’s still standing up, nobody’ll notice if you don’t do it today.”

“Yeah, I can get away with just touching it up. But that’s not the only part of my routine.”

“Lotion’s one of them, right? Get me after you shower so I can help with that.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Peridot gave Amethyst a peck on the cheek then left to start getting ready.

 

* * *

 

The door to Amethyst’s room opened and Steven put his hand on Peridot’s shoulder to get her attention.

“Lunch is almost done.”

Peridot removed her earphones. “Okay, thanks.” She then noticed a young girl wearing glasses standing next to Steven. “Oh, hello, I’m Peridot.”

The girl smiled. “I’m Connie.”

She offered her hand to Peridot who shook it.

Steven excitedly pointed to the brown furball on Peridot’s lap. “And that’s Max! He’s the cutest sweetest dog I ever met!”

Connie giggled as she pet Max on the head, he leaned into her hand obviously loving her technique. “I don’t think I’ve ever pet a dog this soft before.”

With a grin Peridot ruffled Max’s fur. “Yeah, and he’s especially soft right now because he was just trimmed.”

Steven’s eye lit up. “Do you have pictures of Max with long hair? I bet that looks super cute too.”

With a laugh Peridot opened up the Chirper account she set up for Max, it didn’t take long for her to get to the cheep from when she took him to the groomer’s.

“Oh my gosh! He looks like an adorable mop!” Steven had stars in his eyes and pulled out his phone. “I’m totally gonna follow him!” He pointed at the follower count. “Connie look, Max is famous.”

“Wow, thousands of people are following a dog on social media.”

“Yeah, I think that in this world a daily dose of cute can do you some good,” Peridot stroked Max as she talked. “I guess a lot of people feel the same way.”

As he was scrolling through Max’s Chirper account Steven remembered why he came upstairs in the first place. “Oh yeah! It’s lunch time!”

Peridot put Max on the floor then slightly shakily got onto her feet. She stretched out her sore back and noticed something.

She’s a little bit shorter than Steven’s friend…

Ah well, five feet isn’t exactly tall.

The trio walked to the kitchen, halfway there a delicious spicy smell hit Peridot. It got stronger and more mouth-watering as she got closer. When the trip was finally finished Peridot saw Amethyst hard at work at the stove.

Amethyst turned around with one of her catlike grins. “Hey Peri! Like what you smell?”

“Oh I do,” Peridot couldn’t control herself, she looked in the pots but the only thing she could identify was reddish rice, the other pot was full of a spicy green sauce. “Did you make curry for lunch?”

Amethyst softly chuckled. “Nope, you keep giving me tastes of your childhood so I’m returning the favour. This green stuff’s mole verde Zacatecano.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had mole before,” Peridot looked very interested.

“You’re gonna love it,” Amethyst wrapped her arm around Peridot’s waist. “Ma was from Mexico and she made it all the time. It was my favourite back then and it still is now.”

“I look forward to it.”

Amethyst kissed Peridot on the temple. “Go sit down, I’m practically done anyway.”

Peridot nestled into Amethyst. “Okay, I do have to feed Max first though.”

“Can I do it?” Steven asked excitedly.

“Sure, just only fill his bowl halfway, we just had breakfast.”

Steven jauntily walked over to Max’s things as Peridot took a seat at the island.

It didn’t take long for Amethyst to set a bunch of heaping plates infront of everyone.

Connie gave Amethyst a small crooked smile. “You always make so much.”

“You gotta eat, it’s good for you,” Amethyst warmly smiled at Connie. “And I always say that you don’t have to eat it all but you always do.”

“It’s just too delicious for me to stop,” Connie playfully groaned.

“Glad to hear it,” Amethyst noticed Peridot already stuffing chicken into her mouth. “So, wha’d’ya think Per?”

“Mfft, good,” swallowing the food didn’t even cross Peridot’s mind until after she replied, she blushed.

Amethyst laughed. “Must be good if you forgot your manners.”

“Oh Amethyst, it’s delicious,” Peridot remembered to swallow this time. “I’d love it if you cooked for me more often. And I need this recipe.”

“Sorry Per, family secret,” Amethyst winked.

Peridot shrugged. “Fair enough.”

This reaction slightly disappointed Amethyst. “Dude, it was a joke. I just found some recipe online then messed with it until it tasted amazing.”

“Oh, it being a family secret was possible. Some of my recipes are, why do you think I often make my own broths?”

“Huh, that’s pretty cool,” Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck. “Ma was like, super traditional and everything she cooked was just from her heart and passed down. Nothing got written.”

“My grandma on my dad’s side is like that,” Peridot nodded knowingly. “Well, there’s no reason _your_ recipe can’t be a family secret.”

That didn’t even occur to Amethyst. “Y-you’re right.” She puffed out her chest. “Alright, from now on my family **does** have a secret recipe.”

Steven started applauding and Peridot and Connie joined in for fun. Amethyst comically bowed.

The group happily finished the delicious lunch only occasionally talking due to enjoying it too much to do so.

 

* * *

 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Connie managed to catch Peridot during a snack break.

“Ma’am?” Peridot looked over her shoulder.

“Oh sorry, uh,” Connie furrowed her brow in thought, “sir?”

Peridot softly laughed. “You don’t need to be so formal with me. So, what do you need?”

Connie shyly put her hands behind her back. “Oh, um, I’m supposed to make posters for the school dance and I have no ideas. Steven told me that you’re an artist.”

“I dabble,” Peridot shrugged, Connie looked disappointed. “That doesn’t mean I won’t help you.”

“Thank you ma’am!” Connie’s spirits were lifted.

Peridot came into the living room with Connie and just before they sat down Steven said that they ran out of paper. Peridot could see how, there are a lot of discarded designs.

Amethyst spoke from where she was sprawled out on the couch. “Me and Peri can get some from Pearl’s office,” Amethyst’s eyes landed on Peridot’s cane. “Well, if Peri feels up to doing stairs.”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine.”

Pearl’s office was unsurprisingly spotless, finding paper was no problem at all, during the trip Amethyst decided to also pick up a ruler.

While Amethyst was gathering supplies, Peridot spotted a photo of Pearl with a group of young adults cheerfully standing next to a robot. Peridot picked up the photo.

“Hey Amethyst, look at this.”

Amethyst has seen that photo a million times but she took it from Peridot anyway.

“See if you recognize anybody other than Pearl in it,” amusement was clear in Peridot’s voice.

This request slightly puzzled Amethyst, something must’ve caught Peridot’s eye. She looked at the same old faces a few times, eventually something about the short blonde woman made her take a closer look.  Short messy hair, super casual clothes, slightly stretched earlobes, green glasses, grey eye-

-That’s… Peridot!

“ **You’re** in this photo,” Amethyst couldn’t hide her shock. She pointed at Peridot. “That’s you!”

Peridot giggled. “Yep, that’s me. Man, what was I thinking with that hair?”

“You… this…”

“That was taken a year before the fire,” Peridot knew what Amethyst was curious about. “Crazy, isn’t it? I looked so different then. Seeing this I can understand why Pearl didn’t recognize me.”

Amethyst took another look at the photo. A small part of her wished that Peridot’s skin was still burn-free.

This wish disgusted Amethyst, especially when she looked at her adorable bright-eyed partner next to her. Peridot didn’t deserve such an awful thing to happen to her, that wasn’t the disgusting part, it was the shallow aesthetic thought that was.

“What’s wrong?” Of course Peridot noticed.

“I,” Amethyst sighed. “I-”

“-was thinking that I looked better in that photo,” Peridot looked a bit hurt. “That’s understandable, I kind of saw it coming,” she shrugged. “But that’s just how it is. I couldn’t get out.”

“That’s not completely it,” Amethyst shook her head. “Yeah, the you in this picture was good looking but she wouldn’t have caught my attention. You’re… not conventionally attractive anymore but,” Amethyst cupped Peridot’s left cheek, “your scars make you uniquely beautiful. Every time I look at them I see something new. Like how there’s a red spot on your temple that kind of looks like a heart.” Amethyst kissed Peridot’s heavily scarred and uneven forehead. “And even after seeing college-you I can’t imagine my partner looking any other way. _This_ is the face I fell in love with, not the one in the picture.”

For the second time ever Peridot broke down crying infront of Amethyst.

But this time they were tears of happiness.

Peridot stumbled forward and hugged Amethyst, she said something but it was impossible for Amethyst to make out.

“Aw, Peri,” Amethyst rubbed Peridot’s back, “the last thing I wanted to do was make you cry.”

“I know, I couldn’t help it.”

Amethyst sighed, of course Peridot apologized. “You’re crying because you’re happy, nothing to be sorry about.” Amethyst tightened her embrace. “I’m glad I could make you this happy.”

The thought,  _“at least I can be good for something,”_ ran through Amethyst’s mind.

“Steven’s probably worried that I fell and hurt myself,” predictably, Peridot spoiled the moment. “We should get back to them.”

“Okay, if you want to,” Amethyst glanced at the photo. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to show the picture to Steven. I think it’d make him happy to know you and Pearl knew each other.”

“And maybe we can figure out how to get Pearl to remember me.”

“Well that’s easy, we can just show her the picture. I just wanna make sure you don’t, I dunno, wanna keep it between us.”

“There’s no point in that. I appreciate the sentiment but I’m okay now.”

“Are you actually?” Amethyst made eye-contact with Peridot.

Peridot’s composure didn’t falter. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m feeling better now. You’re seen me at my mostly best in that photo and you said something I will keep in my heart.”

Amethyst smiled. “Alright, just making sure. And thanks.”

“I should be thanking you.”

 

* * *

 

Steven actually did worry that Peridot got hurt when he heard her cane fall so he met her and Amethyst halfway up the steps.

“I’m okay, I just dropped my cane,” Peridot reassured Steven. “I saw something interesting; we’ll show it to you downstairs.”

“Okay,” Steven’s eyes lit up, he took the supplies from Peridot so she could make it down more easily.

Everybody settled in at the table then Peridot showed the photo to Steven and Connie with a smile.

“I actually knew Pearl in college,” she pointed to herself in the picture.

“Oh wow,” Steven was star-eyed. “Why didn’t you and Pearl mention that you’re old buds?”

“Uh well, Pearl doesn’t actually recognize me; I think my burns are throwing her off,” Peridot decided it’d be best if Steven didn’t know about their rocky start.

Steven was uncharacteristically quiet. Connie filled the empty air. “Do you intend on telling Pearl?”

Peridot nodded. “Yep, there’s no reason to not tell her,” she shrugged, “and that picture will make it easy.”

“Oh!” Steven recovered. “Maybe you two can be friends again!” He had a dreamy look on his face. “Old pals reunited, catching up on the last few years over tea… And maybe you can build robots!”

Amethyst laughed. “You’re just excited to see a real live robot.”

Steven giggled. “Yeah… maybe a little. But think about it! They could work together and build robots we can ride in!”

“I think a mech is a bit unrealistic,” but Peridot couldn’t help smiling. “It’s good to have ambitions though.” Steven gave Peridot his patented puppydog eyes. “Well, I guess we could work up to it.”

“Didn’t they build a life-sized Gundam in Japan?” Amethyst asked. 

“Well, it was actually a statue,” Peridot quickly pulled up a news article on her phone. “Although the head moved and the cockpit did open. They’re building a new one and the goal is to get that one to walk.”

Three people in the room enthusiastically talked about robots and mecha anime. But the fourth was too busy feeling her deadline approaching to join in.

Peridot noticed a very familiar look on Connie’s face. “I’m sorry Connie, we got off track,” Peridot picked up her pencil. “So, what’s the theme of the dance?”

“Theme?” Connie looked over at Peridot.

“From what I understand dances have a theme,” Peridot’s brow furrowed. “Right?”

Amethyst snickered. “All the ones I’ve been to have. Good thing I’m here, apparently Peri’s not really an expert.”

That stung a bit. “Between a missing foot and multiple knee surgeries it’s hard to make it to dances.”

“Ah shit,” Amethyst forgot about the ‘no swearing’ rule. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Peridot sighed. “No, I shouldn’t have let it bother me. It’s just a touchy subject.”

“Alright I’ll uh, try to watch that one.”

“Okay!” Peridot clapped her hands together. “Back to work!”

Connie looked even more stressed than before. “I… don’t know the theme. The principal just sorta dropped this on me because I always do what I can for the school. I’m not even interested in the dance!”

“It’s okay, just breathe,” stress is very familiar to Peridot. “When is it due?”

“Next Friday,” Connie replied, trying to control her breathing.

“You have plenty of time then. Ask your principal what the theme is when you can and then we can get together to work on the posters. I work from home and make my hours so I’m almost always available.”

“Thank you so much,” Connie looked like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders.

“And that’s why it’s a good thing Peri’s here,” said Amethyst. “She’s good at getting shi-stuff together.”

Peridot blushed. “Well, since posters are a bust, why don’t we watch TV?”

Everybody agreed to that.

 

* * *

 

Steven quietly met Pearl at the door when she came home that evening.

“Hi Pearl, Peridot and Amethyst are sleeping,” he whispered.

“What, for how long?” Pearl sharply whispered back.

“Not very,” Steven replied. “I think Peri just had another rough day. They fell asleep on the couch.”

“At least they were close by,” Pearl looked a bit peeved. “Hopefully the Maheswarans won’t hold it against us.”

Connie spotted Pearl and waved at her, she gathered her things and came to the door.

“Are you ready to go?” Pearl asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Connie replied then turned to Steven. “Tell Amethyst and Peridot I said bye.”

“Will do.”

Pearl and Connie left and Steven rejoined Peridot and Amethyst who were still sleeping with Max on the top of the pile.

He wished that Max would cuddle him but the tiny pup was practically glued to his owner.

Peridot said he’s doing his job but he’s so darn cute and soft.

What is Max’s job?

Steven pondered this.

He knows about several dog jobs, acting, seeing-eye dogs, police officers, bomb dogs, ones who help fire fighters, but not a dog whose job is to be cute and cuddly.

He decided to ask Peridot about it later.

Peridot loves teaching!

Steven impatiently waited for Peridot to wake up. He was just so excited to learn Max’s job!

Practically the second Peridot woke up he asked what it is.

“His job?” Peridot was a bit groggy. “He’s my emotional companion animal.”

“What’s that?”

“His job is to help me manage my emotions. Most often by just being a cute comfort.”

“Ooooohhhh, _that’s_ why he’s always cuddling you,” understanding turned to compassion. “Does that mean you’re still really sad right now?”

Peridot smiled. “Nah, he just really likes nap time.” Max yawned and Peridot giggled, “I’m feeling okay now so after he wakes up I’m sure he’ll be raring to go. My legs are sore so I’ll need somebody young and energetic to play with him. Will you be that someone?”

Steven’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely!”

 

* * *

 

Pearl was almost bowled over by Steven and Max playing when she returned from bringing Connie home.

“Careful,” Pearl warned them.

“Sorry Pearl,” Steven held an excited and squirmy Max. “He finally wants to play with me.”

“That’s nice but please, watch where you’re going.”

“Okay,” Steven put Max on the floor, the pooch did a quick circle and small bark. “I’m coming.”

Steven dramatically stomped after Max who was having a grand time.

Pearl walked into the livingroom. “Peridot, a word.”

Although she was confused, Peridot came with Pearl to the side room.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

“First, next time you let Steven play with your dog have them do it outside.”

Peridot nodded. “Okay.”

“Second, where do I know you from? Garnet said that I know you and I can’t place you.”

“Oh,” Peridot expected worse, “we knew each other in college.”

“We… did?”

“Yeah, the robotics club,” there was still a blank look on Pearl’s face. “You knocked out my tooth.”

Pearl’s eye went wide. “OH! You’re _that_ Peridot! My goodness, you’ve really changed.”

Peridot shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve really mellowed out since then.” She frowned. “And I want to apologize again for the awful things I said to you. After I had a near-death experience I re-evaluated myself and I truly mean it. I’m sorry.”

“Aw, it’s okay, but I do appreciate it,” Pearl gave Peridot a small smile. "Would you like to join me for my afternoon tea tomorrow?”

Peridot smiled. “I’d like that.”

 

* * *

 

That evening right before bed Amethyst heard Peridot speaking to somebody in French.

_“Yeah, I needed to get away from her for a bit so I’m staying at Amethyst’s. So how are you doing?”_

The was a pause.

_“Heh, really? It’s been super sunny here.”_

A longer pause.

_“I… see…” Peridot’s voice got a bit harsher. “So she knows I’m here.”_

A short pause then Peridot sighed.

_“No, I’m not mad at you, you were making conversation.”_

_“It’s fine, I haven’t seen her in over a decade. She probably won’t even recognize me.”_

_“Oh, no, I assure you, it’s fine. She might not even come here.”_

_“Grandma, try not to worry about it. I’m an adult now and I’m hardly ever alone. Besides, the residents of Beach City look after each other.”_

Peridot’s spirits sounded lifted. _“Yeah, that’s it. Try to get some sleep. Good night, love you.”_

Peridot hung up the phone then leaned back with a sigh.

She didn’t need this right now.

“You okay?” Amethyst asked as she put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder.

“I got some slightly troubling news,” Peridot replied. “I’m sure it’ll be fine though.”

Amethyst gave Peridot a warning look. “Peri…" 

"Don’t worry, I’m just concerned about future possibilities. If something does come of it, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” Amethyst loosely hugged Peridot. “So, you ready to do your lotion?”

“Yep, all set,” Peridot replied.

Her and Amethyst got into position on the plush bed. Peridot spread lotion on her chest and arms then passed the bottle to Amethyst.

“Lay on your tummy,” Amethyst instructed. “I’m s'possed to massage you tonight, remember?”

“My chest is covered in lotion.”

“I don’t care, sheets wash.”

Peridot lied down on her stomach and Amethyst got to work on Peridot’s stiff shoulders.

“Tell me if I’m being too rough.”

Peridot’s response was muffled but sounded like confirmation.

Amethyst made sure to get in deep in Peridot’s muscles. The two were unusually quiet.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, or at least not in Amethyst’s opinion.

But it was for Peridot.

“My mother.”

Amethyst barely heard Peridot. “What was that?”

“The phone call was about my mother,” Peridot repeated herself. “As you probably guessed I don’t have the best relationship with her.”

Peridot tensed up. “She’s why my back and knee are messed up.”

The massage stopped momentarily. “I… had a feeling.”

“You did?”

“You’re so open about all your other injuries so I figured somebody broke your back and knee. But man, your mom did that?”

“She… is a perfectionist, everything needs to be perfect, even her child. So you can imagine her disappointment when she saw I was missing a foot, and you have an idea of how that disappointment manifested itself.”

“Where was your dad when this was going on?”

“He had no idea, I got good at hiding it and apart from my knee and back it was never physically serious. We explained that my knee broke when I fell off of my scooter.”

Amethyst just let Peridot continue talking.

“It was my back that made him catch on. I’m very careful on stairs. As soon as he found out he took steps to get me away from her.”

“Man, sorry I’m so quiet. I just don’t know what to say, you’ve probably heard it all before.”

“It’s okay, I just appreciate you being there to listen.”

Things got quiet again.

“Well, you told me about your family, it’s about time I told you about mine,” Amethyst broke the silence. “You know how Jasper’s my half-sister. Her dad cheated on his wife, her mom, with mine. Apparently he was very romantic and charming and promised ma the world. But he didn’t mean any of it, they boinked, he left, and then eight months later I popped out.”

“Eight?”

“Yeah, I was born a little premature. Y’know, with a messed-up heart, cleft palate, weak eye, and maybe a couple other issues. Anyway, ma was single and worked two jobs to get it all payed off along with other bills. We didn’t have much but she did her best to give me a good childhood.”

Amethyst frowned. “She died when I was twelve and I had no family to take me in and foster care sucks so I ran away. I was actually homeless for a bit. I… did some stuff I’m not proud of to get by. Then when I was fourteen Rose and Pearl found me. They took me in and I’ve lived here ever since.”

“I guess we’ve both had it rough.”

“Yeah, that may be why we get along so good. Two tough chicks put through hell by the universe.”

“Then making it through those times and finding each other. I don’t usually believe in fate but I think I can make an exception.”

Peridot sat up then put her top on. “Thank you for sharing that with me, I know it wasn’t easy.”

“Actually, it kind of was. You kinda get it.”

Peridot and Amethyst hugged, their bond strengthened by their experiences.

“Oh,” Peridot spoke. “I was so distracted by my phone call that I forgot to put lotion on my face.”

“I’ve got it,” Amethyst carefully covered the area making sure to not get any lotion in Peridot’s eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Amethyst kissed Peridot’s right cheek, lotion doesn’t taste great.

They settled in like they did the night before down to Max curling up on Peridot’s tummy.

This interested Amethyst. “Does he always sleep on you like that?”

“Yeah,” Peridot replied. “I think he’s worried I’ll stop breathing. I saw a video once of a person whose dog always lies on him as he sleeps. He was pretending to sleep and held his breath. Well, the dog immediately started panicking trying to wake him up. So I think that’s what’s going on here.”

“Dogs are kind of amazing.”

Peridot nodded in agreement.

They talked for a little bit but were to drained to stay up as late as they did the previous night. They kissed and said goodnight then Amethyst turned out the lights.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice visit was slightly spoiled by some troubling news. Peridot’s mother knows what town Peridot lives in. The possible return of her mother weighs heavily on her mind. But she can’t let everybody worry about her. She’ll cross that bridge when she gets to it.
> 
> And if fate decided to have mercy, _if_ she gets to it.
> 
> So Peridot decided to just act as if everything’s normal and her and Pearl even made plans to have tea together.
> 
> That’ll be nice.

Silver, just like _hers._

The day started like every other, wake up, eat breakfast, shower, change, apply lotion, and now Peridot has to do her hair.

She looked in the mirror and the possibility of her mother coming to town made her resent their strong resemblance for the first time in a while.

 “Maybe I _should_ switch to brown mascara…”

One of the good things to come of the fire was the reduced resemblance, the burns on her face do throw things off a bit.

But at the same time, the eyes, nose, jawline, and figure were so similar.

Like a miniature version of **her**.

Peridot took a breath to push the thought to the back on her mind.

No sense dwelling on it.

She picked up her comb and hairspray and got to work.

The out-there hairdo helps too.

 

* * *

 

Peridot joined Pearl for afternoon tea as everybody else played on the beach.

“Here you go,” Pearl handed a cup of tea to Peridot.

“Thank you.”

Things were still a bit awkward between them.

“So Peridot, what have you been up to?”

“I’ve just been doing freelance work as a programmer,” Peridot replied. “How about you?”

“Oh, I’ve just been raising Steven, I make ends meet by repairing electronics, and vehicles, and well, just about anything made of metal; I also sell things that I’ve sewn.”

Peridot perked up. “You sew? I do too, although I prefer to crochet.”

“I knit myself, there’s just something pleasant about the yarn coming together so methodically.”

“I know, I feel the same way. Do you make your own patterns?”

“Usually, but sometimes I need a little help.”

“I find it much easier to make patterns for sewing myself.”

“I’m the other way.”

Just as the conversation about sewing started getting more enthusiastic a sopping wet Max ran into the living room and shook off. Pearl made an annoyed grunt and Peridot immediately asked her to get a towel.

“You’re a muddy little guy, aren’t you?” Peridot cooed as she dried him off. “Lie down.” Max did. “Good, now, on your back.” He rolled over and Peridot wiped his tummy off. “Good boy. Okay, all done.”

And with that Max stood up wagging his tail.

“Did you have fun playing in the ocean?”

Max barked in response.

“Good to hear,” Peridot ruffled his fur.

Pearl walked into the room. “Okay, all of the mud is cleaned up.”

“Thank you for doing that.”

“Oh it was no trouble, Lion makes bigger messes,” Pearl waved her hand. “And at least you clean your dog before letting it onto the furniture.”

“Max knows he’s not allowed to cuddle when he’s wet and dirty.”

If Pearl didn’t know better she would’ve sworn the dog nodded.

They sat back on the couch but with a new furry addition on Peridot’s lap.

Peridot tried to restart the previous conversation but couldn’t help noticing Pearl’s discomfort.

“You don’t like dogs, do you?”

“No.”

Well this is awkward.

“Did you have a bad run-in with a dog?”

“A few during the war and some police dogs too.”

“Ah, I understand. I wish I knew that, I wouldn’t have come.”

“It’s alright, it’s been well-behaved,” a small smile reached Pearl’s lips. “I’m surprised you didn’t tell me that I’m being ridiculous since your dog’s so small.”

Peridot shook her head. “I know I shouldn’t assume things but I’m guessing you have PTSD. I have an idea of what that’s like.”

“You do?”

“I can’t watch burning buildings on shows or in movies, not even cartoons. I know it’s not real, nobody’s in danger, but I just can’t look.”

“That’s just the nature of it.”

Peridot nodded. “If you want I could drop him back off with Amethyst.”

“No, don’t. Maybe this will be good for me. Steven told me that your dog is your emotional companion animal. So perhaps it can help me start to overcome my feelings about dogs. Or at least the small ones.”

“Alright, how do you want to go about this?”

“Maybe you could hold it out towards me then take it away if it gets to be too much.”

Peridot carefully held a sleepy Max out towards Pearl. He gave her a quizzical look and cocked his head. Despite herself, Pearl found it kind of cute. She slowly and cautiously reached out and let him sniff her. Max licked Pearl’s hand.

She pulled her hand away. “That’s enough for now.”

Max looked a bit disappointed as Peridot put him back on her lap. But apart from a small grumble as he got settled he didn’t complain.

“You did pretty well,” Peridot said as she pet Max. “That’s a big step-up from never looking at him.”

“It’s been over twenty years Peridot, I’d better be able to let a dog lick me.”

“You know it doesn’t work like that. Have you seen a therapist? Or gone to any support groups?”

“I can’t bring myself to do that. Talking about it is still very hard.”

“There’s no way for me to understand exactly what you’re going through but a good therapist can be a big help. I can at least hear about house fires without shutting down now.”

“I’ll try to bring myself to find a support group.”

“Only if you want to. It won’t do any good if you’re not willing.”

“Thank you, not many people,” Pearl sighed, “understand what I’m going through.”

“Any time.”

Pearl and Peridot smiled at each other then moved on to less serious topics like cars, and other mechanical things.

 

* * *

 

“Hey guys,” Amethyst entered the living room. “We were thinking of starting up the fire pit and roasting hot dogs and some other things tonight.” She looked at Peridot. “You cool with that?”

Peridot and Pearl exchanged looks, they had planned on cooking supper together.

“I’m okay with the fire pit thing,” Peridot replied.

“Are you sure?” The concern was clear on Pearl’s face. “We don’t have to.”

Peridot nodded. “Yeah, it should be fine. But I may have to head in early because of the smoke.”

So it was decided, Amethyst grabbed wieners, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, and more then they walked onto the beach.

Garnet and Steven had already started the fire, they smiled when everybody else joined them.

“Peridot!” Steven grinned. “So glad you could join us. Have you ever cooked hot dogs over a fire before?”

“No,” Peridot shook her head. “Will you teach me?”

Steven’s eyes lit up. “Will I?!” He cleared his throat and spoke like Pearl does when she teaches him. He explained to Peridot how to cook her hot dog.

In truth, Peridot didn’t actually need the lesson; she just likes his enthusiasm.

Peridot sat between Steven and Amethyst and the three of them roasted their wieners.

“So Peridot, how much longer are you staying?” Steven asked as he checked the doneness.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon,” Peridot replied, she raised an eyebrow. “Sick of me already?”

“Nooooo,” Steven whined then hugged Peridot.

She laughed as she patted his back. “Aw Steven, I was kidding.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go so soon,” Steven sat up.

“Lapis needs me.”

“Of course she does,” Amethyst muttered.

But Peridot didn’t hear her.

“She’s currently not in a good place, but I’m sure she will be some day,” Peridot smiled. “But there’s no reason I can’t come over for visits.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Steven returned the smile.

“You’re welcome here any time,” Pearl said and Garnet nodded. “You can even bring your dog too.”

Amethyst hugged Peridot. “Yeah!”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Everybody checked their food and Peridot’s was charred. She passed it to Amethyst then started a new one.

“Too bad I have work tomorrow,” Amethyst said after eating the charred meat. “I won’t be able to see you off.”

Peridot’s eyes widened. “Oh no. How will I get home?”

Garnet raised her hand. “I’ll drive you.”

“I guess that’s that settled,” Peridot shrugged and checked her wiener.

It was still underdone.

How annoying.

Steven pulled out his ukulele and strummed it, he turned to Peridot. “We always sing by the fire. Any requests?”

“I don’t know many songs,” Peridot replied.

Pearl made a motherly noise. “Oh Steven, haven’t you been working on a new song? You should sing it.”

Steven started playing his instrument then started to sing.

> ♪ Life and death and love and birth
> 
> And peace and war on the planet Earth
> 
> Is there anything that’s worth more
> 
> Than peace and love on the planet Earth ♪

Peridot didn’t expect a song quite like _that_ from a kid.

> ♪ Oh-Whooah, come on and sing it with me… ♪

Steven leaned into Peridot who had been muttering the notes.

“Sing?”

> The words relate to the key…

“Key?”

> ♪ If it’s a pattern
> 
> If it’s a pattern
> 
> Then just repeat after me…
> 
> Life and death and love and birth ♪

Peridot joined in with her quiet squeaky voice.

> _♪ Life and death and love and birth_
> 
> Now, you sing mi-fa-mi-mi-fa-mi-ti-la ♪

They sang in unison.

> ♪ And peace and war on the planet Earth ♪

Steven smiled. “Yeah, that’s it.”

He laughed. “Too bad that’s all I have right now.”

Peridot blushed. “That’s okay, I’m not much of a singer anyway.”

“I think you have a cute singing voice,” Amethyst said, she had expected something less meek.

But in a lot of ways the reality was better than her expectations.

“Isn’t Steven so talented?” Motherly pride radiated from Pearl. “He writes lots of songs himself.”

Steven smiled proudly. “Yep! But dad helps me sometimes too. He used to be a rock star.”

“Star is an exaggeration,” Pearl said under her breath.

“Your dad was a rock star?” Peridot looked at Seven with interest.

“Yeah,” Steven grinned. “Him and mom met at one of his shows.”

“She must have fought off quite the crowd then.”

“Nah, she was the only one to show up.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, but her beauty really captivated him.”

As Steven told Peridot about how his parents met, Amethyst switched her properly cooked hot dog with Peridot’s black one.

She tapped Peridot on the shoulder. “Peri, weenie.”

“Oh!” Peridot scrambled to pull her hot dog out of the fire. “Thank you, it just finished cooking.”

Peridot put her dog in a bun and put a little ketchup on it, mustard makes her sick. She took a bite and enjoyed it.

The group talked and roasted food, and sang songs until quite late. With a yawn they all headed in.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst watched Peridot walk out of the washroom all prepared for bed and an idea hit her.

“Hey Peri?”

Peridot made a noise of acknowledgement as she put her plugs on the dresser.

“What gauge are your ears? I’ve been wondering for a while.”

She hasn’t been.

“Five-eighths inches, or sixteen centimetres,” Peridot replied.

The bed shifted as Peridot sat down.

“So that’s how they’re measured?” Amethyst asked as she and Peridot prepared for the nightly lotion application.

“Yeah, after a zero gauge they start to measure in inches.”

“Huh, you know, I actually don’t know much about that sorta thing.”

Peridot chuckled. “I didn’t either until I started doing it. It’s oddly addictive.”

Amethyst couldn’t help laughing. “I had a feeling. I’m kind of the same way with ear piercings.”

“I’ve actually considered getting another ear piercing or two,” Peridot rubbed her thumb along the top of her ear. “I’ve always liked those barbell piercings so I was debating getting one.”

“Dooo iiiitt.”

Peridot burst out laughing. “How am I not surprised you egged me on?”

“You might as well, if you don’t like it you can just take it out. The holes will close.”

“That’s true. It’s kind of funny, I’ve put more thought into that piercing than I did my body mods,” Peridot flicked her earlobe. “Those holes won’t be closing. Not that I’m complaining.”

“I think that just means you’re getting older and smarter. You were a teen when you started stretching ‘em, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose. My dad actually set a limit for me back then,” Peridot chuckled. “I’m way past it now though. So what would another piercing hurt?”

Amethyst grinned. “Exactly. So, speaking of fun things to do with your body, you ever think of getting a tattoo?”

 “Where would I put it?” The smirk was clear in Peridot’s voice.

“Ah c’mon, between your two sides you have an arm.”

“Wouldn’t that be something? Covering all my unmarred skin with tattoos? So, how about you?”

“Yeah,” Amethyst replied with a grin. I want a puma tattoo! I’d probably put it on my upper arm so everybody can see it.”

A silly thought crossed Peridot’s mind, “maybe we could get matching tattoos, I have an upper arm.”

But she didn’t voice that thought and instead said, “I should have guessed, you really like your pumas.”

“Of course, they’re awesome! So, if you did get a tattoo, what would it be?”

“Not a clue. I’d probably like something nerdy but understated. I’m proud of being a nerd but I’d want my hypothetical tattoo to be more subtle than the shirts I wear.”

“I get that, people with super obvious nerd tattoos do get funny looks.  But if you ask me, if it’s something you really like then those looks don’t matter.”

“True.”

Amethyst finished applying the lotion and took a good look at Peridot’s back.

“Hey, if it’s cool with you, can I see your chest?” Amethyst managed to catch Peridot before she put her top on.

Peridot didn’t respond.

“Only if you’re okay with it,” Amethyst reiterated.

“I’ve already seen you topless,” Peridot took in a breath.

“Woah, hey,” Amethyst put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “Just because that happened that doesn’t mean I have to see you topless. I’m just curious; those are the only burns of yours I haven’t seen.”

“Nah, it’s fine, you’ll probably see them eventually. But um, i-it’s kind of a mess." 

Peridot turned around with her arm partially covering herself. In Amethyst’s opinion it wasn’t that bad. Only the left side of Peridot’s chest had skin grafts, the other had a burned spot or two but nothing major.

“Geeze, you kinda talked that one up. I expected a lot worse.”

“Ah, that’s because you’re not seeing what used to be a nipple.”

“ _That’s_ why you called your chest a mess? That’s hardly anything! I’ve seen some _pretty_ weird boobs over the years.”

Peridot laughed.

“Cross my heart. Of course I can’t give you any details, but a former nipple ain’t that bad. And even if it was, who cares?”

“That’s true,” Peridot smiled. “You’ve accepted all my other flaws.”

“And you accept mine,” Amethyst smiled back.

‘Well, if you’re done looking I’m gonna put my shirt back on. I’m not one to sleep in the nude.”

“Yeah go for it.”

Peridot put her top and socks on then her, Amethyst, and Max got settled in bed like the have been.

They fell into a comfortable routine so quickly…

A pop alerted Amethyst.

“You okay?”

“Probably,” Peridot replied. “I think that was a good pop.”

“ _Is_ there such a thing as a ‘good pop?’”

“With my back, yes, my knee, not so much,” Peridot decided to keep things light.

As nice as their routine was, Peridot was looking forward to having back support again.

But other than the soft mattress Peridot was going to miss her nights with Amethyst.

She was sure they would happen again in the future.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has come for Peridot to return to her home, her mind more at peace save for the stuff with her mother. But she’s in a good enough place to be able to live with Lapis. With any luck Lapis also benefited from their separation and isn’t constantly angry.

“Are you sure you’re ready to go back?” Garnet peered over her sunglasses at Peridot’s reflection in the rear-view mirror. “You can stay for longer.”

“Thanks but no thanks, as odd as it sounds I miss Lapis,” Peridot kissed Max. “And I think this little guy does too.”

Garnet raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but remember, you’re welcome back any time.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Good.”

The rest of the car ride was largely silent apart from the radio, Garnet’s not much of a talker and Peridot’s fine with silence.

Garnet parked infront of Peridot’s duplex and helped her bring her belongings inside.

Max immediately ran off to find Lapis, it took a bit for her to come. She smiled when she saw Peridot.

“It’s good to see you again.”

Peridot returned the smile. “Good to see you too. How are you feeling?”

“Not bad actually,” Lapis replied. “I broke up with my girlfriend.”

“I kind of had a feeling, you got another piercing.”

Sure enough, an eyebrow piercing was added to Lapis’ extensive collection.

“Geeze, didn’t know I was rooming with Sherlock Holmes,” Lapis said with a smirk.

Peridot laughed. “It actually took a few breakups for me to figure that out.”

“So you’re saying you should stick to coding?”

“Yeah probably.”

The two shared a light-hearted chuckle but not for long. As soon as Garnet came in Lapis’ expression darkened.

“What is **she** doing here?” Lapis snarled.

“Lapis,” Garnet remained calm.

“I’m a bit lost,” Peridot was caught in the middle.

“ _She_ is why I was falsely imprisoned **FOR MONTHS!”**

“Which I deeply apologize for,” Garnet was unfazed. “Even a day would have been too long.”

This didn’t calm Lapis down a bit, if anything she got even angrier.

“Calm down,” Peridot put her hands on Lapis’ shoulders. “Let’s talk about this.”

“What is there to talk about?” Lapis snapped at Peridot. “Why do you even know her anyway?!”

“Amethyst lives with Garnet.”

“Lives wi- **seriously?!** You’re dating one of my enemies!”

“Wha-” Peridot was taken aback, “-enemy? Amethyst had nothing to do with that! She just lives with someone who made a mistake. And Garnet apologized and I’m sure she cleared your name.”

“I did,” Garnet was as calm as always. “Lapis, you shouldn’t take this out on Peridot. She didn’t know, and neither does Amethyst.”

“Rumours spread, people talk, especially in this tiny-ass town! Nobody will hire me!”

“That’s very unfortunate.”

“Ya think?!”

“Maybe I should make us tea,” Peridot said awkwardly. “You two can sit down and talk and sort this out.”

“Tea doesn’t fix everything!” Lapis was livid.

“I know but talking will,” it took a lot of fortitude for Peridot to stay calm. “This likely won’t be the only time you two will see each other. You need to get to the point where you can look at her.”

“Tea sound nice,” at least Garnet agreed.

“Stop being so calm, it pisses me off!” The other party… not so much.

“And you need to calm down,” Garnet’s tone actually changed. “Your roommate is doing what she can to absolve this. But that won’t work if you don’t make an effort.”

Lapis gave in. “Fine, I’ll do it for Peridot. I’ll be civil. But I’ll **_never_** forgive you.”

Garnet shrugged. “I’ll take what I can.”

The shrug didn’t help Lapis’ mood one bit. But she did agree to be civil.

It didn’t take long for Peridot to pass tea around to everyone, but that stretch of time was tense to say the least.

Lapis took a sip of the tea. “You’re too good at this, you made my favourite.”

Peridot smiled. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“Yeah, because you’re living with a crappy person.”

“Don’t say that. And it’s not like you’re the only person I’ve played therapist for.”

Lapis sank into the couch with her arms crossed, she glowered at Garnet. “So, where should we start?”

“We could talk about what you’ve been up to,” Garnet replied and took a sip of the tea. “Tea’s lovely by the way.”

“Nothing. I paint pictures and sell them, I can’t get a job but at least people will buy my art,” it took a lot for Lapis to not snap at Garnet.

“It’s better than nothing.”

You could cut the tension with a knife, Peridot tried to ease it a bit. “Lapis, why don’t you show Garnet some of your paintings? Who knows, maybe she knows somebody who might be interested.”

“It’s possible,” Garnet said.

Lapis’ eyes narrowed. “No, I’m not that desperate.”

“That’s a shame,” Garnet’s tone was as even as ever.

The room got quiet again.

It lasted an excruciating ten minutes until Garnet stood up.

“Thank you for the tea. I need to go to work.”

“Oh, okay, bye Garnet,” Peridot waved.

“Goodbye Peridot, Lapis.”

Lapis didn’t say anything and Garnet left.

Peridot sighed. “That could’ve gone better… then again, it could have gone worse too.”

“I guess she’s not completely horrible,” Lapis muttered. “Still infuriating though. Does her tone ever change?”

“Nope,” Peridot replied with a giggle. “That’s just one of her quirks. I can see how it annoys you.”

“And you spent three days with her.”

“You know I enjoy my silence. Garnet’s great to have around when you’re reading or working.”

“I’ll bet.”

“So, are you ready to talk about why you broke up with your last girlfriend?”

Lapis rolled her eyes. “You’ve always sucked at changing subjects. And you know why we broke up. We were really bad for each other. I took everything out on her. At first she yelled back but eventually she stopped and started to practically grovel at my feet. It made me feel like garbage and confused me so I decided to break it off.”

“Do you know why her grovelling made you feel bad?”

“Probably because I’m horrible enough to break somebody. I broke you too.”

“You didn’t break me, we were both going through some things so I needed to step away for a bit to regroup.”

“How’s your aunt doing anyway?”

“She’s stable,” Peridot frowned. “I’d like to visit her but it’s just not in the budget. My grandma and dad have been keeping me up-to-date at least.”

“Being broke sucks.”

Peridot nodded to the sentiment.

“Well, she’s your aunt, if your stubbornness and tenacity are genetic I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“The women of the Diamont family don’t die easily, that’s for sure.”

Lapis snorted. “The name doesn’t lie.”

“There’s actually an interesting story about how they got that name…”

The rest of the day continued like nothing had happened.

 

* * *

 

Peridot slowly opened her eyes feeling like something was missing. Without thinking about it she glanced to her side.

It was then that she realized that the ‘something missing’ was Amethyst’s body not being next to her.

Funny, how quickly she got used to her girlfriend’s presence. 

With a small sigh Peridot gently coaxed Max off of her tummy then checked her phone.

Amethyst’s never up this early but she could have sent something very late at night.

Sure enough, she did.

 **Ams:** How was you fist day back home?

Peridot smiled and sent her reply.

 _Peridot:_ FINE GARNET MADE THINGS A BIT MESSY BUT LAPIS GOT OVER IT QUICKLY ENOUGH

She read and re-read the text hoping to catch any errors. But she was still groggy.

Peridot decided that if Amethyst couldn’t read it she would ask for clarification.

After a few of her morning stretches Peridot put her foot on then headed for the kitchen.

On the way there she looked to see if the light to Lapis’ art room was on.

It wasn’t.

With a frown Peridot stood outside of Lapis’ bedroom door and listened.

It was silent.

Did Lapis disappear again?

That wouldn’t be good… Lapis tends to get into trouble when she does that.

Max started wagging his tail like crazy and bounced his way to the kitchen with Peridot close behind.

In the kitchen was Lapis mixing something in a bowl near the counter.

Lapis hardly ever makes breakfast…

“Good morning Lapis,” Peridot was careful not to startle her. “Have you gotten any sleep yet?”

“Yep,” Lapis almost looked cheery. “I went to bed just after you and and it only took two hours to fall asleep.” Her new cheeriness faltered a bit. “I’m trying to be less of a piece of shit. Maybe then I’ll be able to successfully date.

“You’re not a piece of filth.”

Lapis burst out laughing. “You’re physically unable to swear, aren’t you?”

Peridot giggled. “That’s just my upbringing.” Her expression turned serious. “You know, you don’t have to completely change yourself to find the right partner.”

“Isn’t that what you did?”

“I re-evaluated and changed myself for my own sake. The constant anger and frustration on top of all my stress was bad for me. And lashing out just made me lonely which didn’t help my mental state either.”

“Maybe that’s why I want to change too.”

“The fact that you brought up dating worried me is all.”

Lapis sighed. “Yeah. That’s part of it. But yeah, all the anger and frustration sucks. I’m done with it.” The fatigue of years of lashing out and anger showed on her features. “I’m tired, Peridot.”

Peridot hugged Lapis. “I know, it’s exhausting. If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”

Lapis’ body stayed limp. “Just teach me how you relax. I’ll try anything.”

“I already have, but you’re welcome to join me. Just keep in mind that not everything will work for everyone. There’s no magic cure or formula.”

“I won’t ever get better, will I?”

“You’ll always have good days and bad days,” Peridot conceded. “Depression doesn’t just go away. Your goal should be to have more good days than bad.”

“Geeze, you’re not very optimistic, are you?”

“I’m a realist.”

Lapis smiled. “I might need a realist right about now.”

“I’d be happy to be your realist.”

“Thanks Peridot.”

They ended their hug and Lapis put pancakes on the griddle.

They were delicious.

 

* * *

 

The day was mostly normal but Lapis hung around Peridot more than usual to get a better feel for what she does in her day.

It was really boring, Lapis decided that a life like Peridot’s would probably drive her nuts.

The horrible headache from being up so early didn’t help matters either.

Lapis, Peridot, and Max watched TV together in the evening.

“How do you do it?” Lapis asked. “How do you wake up every morning at eight, go through your boring routine, then go to bed at eleven?”

“Well, my life’s always been regimented so it’s pretty easy for me,” Peridot raised an eyebrow. “And my routine isn’t boring, I played with Max and after our shows I’ll play video games.”

“Okay fine, playing with Max was fun; but everything else,” Lapis blew a raspberry.

“Rome wasn’t build in a day, changing your lifestyle won’t be easy.”

“I dunno, maybe copying you isn’t how I should do things. You just have everything sorted out so I thought that if I did what you do I can be like that too.”

Peridot had one of those smug little smirks of hers on her face. “I’m glad you realized that. Take cues from my life but don’t copy me exactly. You need to find your own way.”

“I hate this,” Lapis groaned. “My life wasn’t always complete shit but one little thing kicked off this spiral down the toilet.”

“Ah, that was almost poetic. Perhaps you can unwind by writing proses.”

“Fuck off you smartassed gremlin,” Lapis started to chuckle. “You’re the only decent thing to happen to me." Max looked up at Lapis, she sighed a good-natured sigh. “And the dog too. Can’t believe that mop wriggled its way into my heart.”

“D’aw, you love us.”

“I can still kick you out, you know.”

Peridot didn’t retort like she normally would and this set off warning bells in Lapis’ head.

“Hey, something happen?”

“Not yet, my mother used to tell me that she’d make me ‘disappear’ whenever I didn’t meet her standards, and you reminded me of that just now.”

“But I’ve made that joke before.”

A heavy sigh. “My mother’s been on my mind lately. She might be coming to town.”

Lapis sat up with her back straight. “Oh shit. You don’t know for sure though, right?”

“No, I don’t. But the possibility is looming over me,” Peridot’s expression showed a tiny bit of hope. “It’s been over a decade, maybe she’s changed and wants to apologize. I could just be getting worked-up over nothing.”

There was no hope on Lapis’ face. “Anything’s possible but I don’t think somebody that awful can change. You need to be careful.”

“I know, I’ll minimize how much I travel alone, and if she arranges to meet me I’ll take precautions. But she’s so big, Lapis. I don’t know anybody who can protect me from her.”

“You could always get a gun.”

“I’d probably hurt myself or somebody innocent. Or go to jail! She can afford better lawyers than I can!”

“You wouldn’t have to fire it, just point it at her to scare her off.”

“Lawyers, Lapis!”

Lapis raised her hands. “Okay, okay, no gun. Just stay near people for the next while. And you’re practically a hermit anyway so she can’t get to you.”

“I… I know, I’m being irrational, I-I just-”

Lapis put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I’d probably react the same way if a certain ex of mine told me she’s coming to town. Your mother did terrible things so being scared is natural.”

Peridot sniffled and wiped her eye with the heel of her hand. 

“Look, I know things suck right now and you’re scared,” Lapis blushed, “but there are people here for you. You’ll be fine.”

Without a thought Peridot hugged Lapis very tight. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Lapis’ blush got worse. “Now why don’t you take your mind off of it? Poor Max’ll have his work cut out for him if you don’t cheer up a bit.”

Peridot released her grip on Lapis. “You’re right,” she kissed Max on the head, “he’s good at his job but there’s no reason I shouldn’t try to make it easier for him.”

“Okay,” Lapis grabbed a controller, “what game do you want to play?”

Peridot made her choice and they played until late in the night.

Jaune Diamont’s possible arrival still lingered in the backs of their minds.

But the gaming session did ease it some.

 

* * *

 

As Peridot was brushing her teeth she heard her phone ringing. She rushed out of the washroom and answered it.

“Hello?” In her rush she didn’t spit out the toothpaste.

_“Peridot?”_

Peridot pulled her phone away from her mouth so she could spit. “Hey dad.”

_“Did I call at a bad time?”_

“No, I was just in the middle of brushing my teeth. So, uh, how are you?”

_“I’m doing well,” he sighed, “but I have news. Some good and some bad. Which should I start with?”_

“You know I like to end on a high note.”

_“Okay,” he paused. “How do I say this? Well, your mother’s company is opening a store in Ocean Town now that it’s not on fire. Your grandma told me that Jaune knows you’re in Beach City so there’s a chance that she’ll show up.” Angel sounded as nervous as Peridot’s been feeling._

“I actually already knew that she knows where I live,” fear sat in the pit of Peridot’s stomach. “But I didn’t know about the store.”

_“Please dear, be careful. I can’t help you and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt again.”_

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on walking alone and the residents of Beach City take care of each other.”

_“You’re not scared?”_

“Oh I’m terrified, but panicking won’t help anything. What will help is careful planning.”

_Angel let out a sigh of relief. “You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders. But please keep me up to date. I’ve never met your friends so I can’t help worrying.”_

“Garnet is a police officer and don’t ask me how, but the mayor owes Steven some favours. I have friends in high places.”

_“Sorry, who’s Steven again?”_

“He’s,” this explanation was actually kind of tricky. “It’s complicated. He’s the son of Amethyst’s friend but this friend died so Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are his guardians. But not technically because his dad has custody. But it’s hard to raise a child in a van so Steven doesn’t live with him.”

_“Why does the father live in a van?”_

“Honestly I have no idea. Apparently he sees no need to live in a house. Steven visits almost every day so he still spends time with his son.” Peridot laughed. “I somehow got myself involved with a ‘unique’ family.”

_“Sounds like it. Oh! Speaking of family, how about I give you the good news?”_

Peridot smiled. “Does it involve Aunt Auréle?”

_“You’ve got it,” Angel was obviously smiling. “She gets released from the hospital tomorrow. Auréle made a full recovery, which is amazing considering her age.”_

“I’m glad to hear it. That’s actually a lot off my mind.”

_“I had a feeling it would be. Well, I should probably let you go. It’s kind of late where you are. And I just got home from work so I need to eat.”_

“Oh, okay. Goodnight, love you.”

_“I love you too, goodnight sweetie.”_

Peridot hung up with her spirits lifted. 

Her mother’s arrival being practically confirmed sucked but at least things weren’t all bad.

Maybe she could pull through like her aunt did.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of time has passed since the beginning of Peridot’s tale. There have been a lot of ups and some downs. But overall things were going fairly well.
> 
> Too bad there was a six-foot five shadow hanging over Peridot’s shoulder.
> 
> There was no word on that however.
> 
> What Peridot needed was a nice date and Amethyst is always more than happy to give her that.

A few weeks later and no update on Jaune. A normal person would conclude that there was nothing to worry about but stress was a part of Peridot’s life that will never leave.

She concluded that the only way this sense of dread would go away is if all the residents of Beach City chased her mother out of town with pitchforks and torches.

The mental image made Peridot smile.

If only…

Peridot checked her phone and saw that Amethyst sent her a text just a few minutes ago.

> **Ams:** Yo, call me when you get a chance.

Normally Amethyst would simply phone Peridot.

And why’s Amethyst up so early? She’s off work.

Peridot decided to get ready for the day before making her phone call.

A groggy Peridot is never great at making conversation.

 

* * *

 

Feeling nice and refreshed and ready to make a phone call, Peridot phoned Amethyst.

_“Mornin’ Peri!” Amethyst sounded very chipper for somebody who isn’t a morning person._

“Good morning,” Peridot giggled. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

_“Of course! Next week’s our six-month anniversary!”_

“It is?” Guilt flooded Peridot. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it’s been that long already.”

_“Hey don’t sweat it, you’ve had a lot on your mind.”_

This made Peridot feel a bit better. “Okay.”

_“So anyway, I was thinking that we could eat somewhere nice together.”_

Peridot started going over her budget.

_This pause told Amethyst a lot. “Don’t worry about the money, I saved up for this.”_

“You’re too good to me.”

_“Oh no, don’t start **that** up again. You’re plenty good to me, let me treat you.”_

“Alright. So, when are we going?”

_“I was thinking Wednesday or Thursday, I waited to make the reservation in case you had plans.”_

“Nope, no plans, well, not before now,” Peridot winked, Amethyst obviously couldn’t see it but it felt so natural.

_“Smoooooth Peri,” the sarcasm was obvious. “I’ll update you when I reserve a table.”_

“Sounds good.”

_“‘Kay, talk to you then! Love you, bye.”_

“I love you too, bye.”

Peridot hung up and felt a slew of emotions.

First, excitement. _This would be my first time eating someplace nice with Amethyst._

Second, happiness. _Amethyst kept track of how long we’ve been dating._

Third, concern. _There wasn’t enough time to make something nice as a present, and the budget won’t allow for an expensive purchase._

Fourth, regret. _Why did I have to buy that awesome model kit?_

Fifth, calmness. _Amethyst doesn’t expect me to buy her nice things._

Six, some guilt. _Of course Amethyst doesn’t expect anything. She’s dating someone in massive amounts of debt. She deserves to be treated too._

And finally, determination. _Amethyst **deserves** that present, darn it._  

Peridot picked out some purple yarn and got to work.

It’d take some all-nighters but Peridot wanted to crochet the best present she could.

 

* * *

 

Peridot deeply inhaled after she she got out of her car. She adjusted her dark-green three-piece suit, it rode up a bit while she was driving.

She ran her fingers through her hair. After staring in the mirror for an hour she decided to not style it and kept it in its somewhat feminine long bob-cut.

Part of that hour of staring was trying to decide which plugs to wear.

Despite the fact that she only had the two pairs.

She eventually settled on her solid black ones, in her opinion they go better with formal clothes than the tunnels she usually wears.

Peridot’s heart sank, she almost forgot the present!

She fetched the large box from the car, the gift was wrapped in green paper and had a deep purple ribbon on the top.

Peridot’s never been the religious sort but that didn’t stop her from praying that she wouldn’t need her cane on this date. Her knee was sore but still in good enough shape to just need a brace.

Her legs shook as the walked to the restaurant door.

Logically, there was no reason to be so nervous. It was a date with Amethyst, they’ve dated plenty of times before.

But this was the first date where Peridot was carrying a huge box into an eating establishment. 

A silly voice in her head said,  _“is it really that much more conspicuous than your usual hairstyle?”_

A giggle left Peridot’s mouth without her realizing it.

Okay, maybe the box wasn’t that bad.

The heavy door of the restaurant opened and wow, Amethyst wasn’t kidding about it being fancy.

Speaking, or rather, thinking of Amethyst, she wasn’t there yet.

“Good evening miss,” the host greeted Peridot. “Do you have a reservation?”

Peridot smiled awkwardly. “Sort of? My girlfriend made it. It should be under Amethyst -” it was then that Peridot realized that she never asked Amethyst’s last name, “-oh dear, this is embarrassing, I’m afraid I don’t know her full name…” Peridot’s face turned red, her voice squeaked. “I’ll just sit down-and… and wait for her.”

“Okay, we haven’t had an ‘Amethyst’ arrive yet so you haven’t missed her.”

“Oh good,” Peridot sighed, her cheeks were still red, she leaned back on the bench. “I’m such a nervous mess.”

“Is this your first date?”

“No, we’ve been dating for six months,” Peridot laughed bitterly. “So it’s kind of pathetic that I’m so nervous. We’ve just never eaten somewhere nice before.”

“It’ll be fine,” the host reassured Peridot. “And if it helps, you can imagine that you’re at a fast food restaurant.”

Peridot smiled. “One where it’s too dark to see your food.”

“If you ask me, it’d be an improvement.”

This made Peridot laugh. “Thank you, you really helped.”

“You’re welcome.”

 

* * *

 

The ten minute wait passed by pretty quickly thanks to getting so sucked into a game.

“Hey Peri, sorry I’m late,” Amethyst sounded a bit out of breath.

The sight of Amethyst stunned Peridot.

She was gorgeous.

Amethyst wore a light-purple mock-neck sweater, it hung nicely on her shapely body.

And Amethyst didn’t typically wear skirts but decided to make an exception for this date by wearing a black skirt that stopped just above her knee.

Her hair… it looked so beautiful in a bun. Amethyst’s left eye was covered by her hair as it usually was, her right eye and her piercings glittered with what little light was in the restaurant.

She was so picturesque.

And Peridot was so tongue-tied. “That’s, uh, okay. You made it,” Peridot kicked herself for not immediately complimenting her date. “You’re pretty.”

_Whyyyyyyy was that all that came out?_

Amethyst didn’t seem offended, in fact, she looked very amused. She leaned into Peridot. “You’re handsome.” With a wink Amethyst gave Peridot a kiss. “Kidding, we all get tongue-tied. Well, I wasn’t kidding about you being handsome. That suit looks great on you.”

“Thank you.”

Amethyst went up to the host and a waitress came to lead her and Peridot to their table.

“Oh, miss,” the host noticed a box on the bench. “You forgot your package.”

“Thanks,” Peridot ran and grabbed it then rejoined Amethyst. She started to feel bashful when Amethyst stared at the large gift. “Um, now that I think about it; perhaps I should have left this in the car.”

“Nah, it’s cool, I reserved a booth for us,” Amethyst held Peridot’s hand. “It’s more intimate. And it gives me a place to put my purse.”

“Practical and personable, my two favourite ‘p’s.”

“Nerd,” Amethyst kissed Peridot on the cheek.

They arrived at the table and opened their menus.

Amethyst gave Peridot a firm look. “Promise me something. Don’t you **dare** look at the prices. I know you, you’ll order the cheapest thing they have. Just pick what sounds good to you.”

“You’re dead-set on treating me,” Peridot smiled crookedly. “Unfortunately I’ve already seen the prices. But don’t worry, I won’t concern myself with them.” Peridot’s mouth twisted. “Well, no steak and lobster, ordering something _that_ pricey is just plain rude.”

Amethyst softly chuckled. “Alright.” She frowned in thought. “I’m debating ordering wine, it’s kind of a big night. Ugh, but I haven’t drank in years.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, why did you give up alcohol?”

“I just don’t like what it does to me, I made a lot of mistakes while drunk,” Amethyst answered with a shrug. “So uh, how ‘bout you?”

“I simply don’t like the way it tastes, and it burns my throat a bit. It’s unpleasant.”

“You get used to that.”

Peridot wrinkled her nose. “That’s another reason, drinking something that I have to become numb to doesn’t appeal to me.”

“Fair enough,” Amethyst thought some more. “Nah, I don’t need it.”

After placing their drink orders Peridot and Amethyst mulled over the menu some more.

“You know, I started saying ‘cola’ to avoid being asked if I prefer one over the other but I keep getting blank stares.”

“Not everybody’s an old lady like you are,” Amethyst winked and stuck her tongue out.

Peridot blushed. “So what are you ordering?”

“Probably a chicken breast, you?”

“Steak. I hardly get to eat beef because Lapis doesn’t and I’m not about to cook two meals.”

Irritation flashed on Amethyst’s face for a split-second. “Cool, steak. We also gotta get appetizers. I mean, this is a fancy joint and all.”

Peridot made an excited noise. “This shrimp appetizer sounds really good!”

“Good to see you so excited about this, I have a couple things picked out too.”

After agreeing on what appetizers to get, Peridot and Amethyst placed their orders. While waiting for the food to arrive they talked about work, TV shows, and other mundane things.

“Ugh, I’m not too happy about my Ninja Keith NOTP becoming canon,” the appetizers arriving cut off Peridot’s rant. “Thank you.”

“Thanks,” Amethyst didn’t hesitate before digging in.

“I mean, I’d be _okay_ with it if they at least had some chemistry or if there was some buildup, but there wasn’t,” Peridot finished her passionate complaining before digging into her shrimp.

“Yeah, I totally get your frustration, and like, Keith’s in his seventies and Mei-Lin’s how old, like, twenty, tops.”

“I wonder if people are so okay with it because he stopped aging in his twenties. Although that presents a whole host of other problems.”

Amethyst thought of something as she popped some calamari into her mouth. “Y’know, maybe this romance’ll convince Keith to not change the past.”

“I think so too,” Peridot enthusiastically agreed. “I mean, I’d rather~”

They somehow managed to talk about Ninja Keith theories until the main course arrived.

“That steak looks so good,” an envious look was in Amethyst’s eye.

Peridot looked up and snickered. “Alright, I’ll give you a bite.”

“Wha, I wasn’t asking for any.”

“You’re looking at my steak like Max looks at chicken,” Peridot was clearly amused, she cut off a piece and pierced it with her fork. Her first instinct was to feed it to Amethyst but she hesitated when she saw the other patrons. “Would it be weird to feed you over the table in this environment?”

“No weirder than talking about cartoon characters having sex,” Amethyst said with a snort. Peridot still looked unsure. “Look, don’t worry about everyone else, they’re doing their thing, no reason we can’t do ours.”

“Okay,” Peridot looked relieved, she held the steak out to Amethyst who cheekily pulled it from the fork. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is, I picked a good place,” Amethyst cut off a piece of her chicken breast. “Here, try mine.”

As soon as Peridot bit down on the chicken their waitress arrived. “So, how is your meal?”

Peridot blushed and sat back down chewing the chicken, Amethyst replied saying that the food is great. The waitress walked away.

“I swear, wait-staff is trained to ask that at the worst time,” Peridot grumbled. “The chicken’s good by the way.”

Amethyst chuckled. “You got us, that’s the first thing the boss covers.”

Peridot giggled. 

“That reminds me of Kayla, this girl I work with,” Amethyst spoke between bites. “So she asks this guy how his food was as he was stuffing his face. Well he gets all pissy and was like, ‘how come all you waitresses do that, can’t you see I’m eating?’ Now, Kayla’s from the Bronx, you don’t mess with New Yorkers. She can’t do anything too bad to a customer ‘cause you’d get in shit with your boss. But no reason she can’t make note of him. So now we all go out of our way to ask him questions as he’s eating or drinking.”

Peridot burst out laughing. “Seriously? That’s great!”

“Yep, it’s a fun little game we play now,” Amethyst hastily added, “But don’t tell my boss, we’re not actually supposed to be doing that.”

“My lips are sealed,” Peridot thought of something mid-bite, she quickly swallowed. “Oh actually, I have a funny work story too.”

“So, this guy hired me and didn’t know exactly what he wanted, fine, annoying, but fine, I’m getting paid. Anyway, he’d make changes with no notice, I’d finish what he wanted, he’d change his mind and I’d redo it. Well, he wasn’t very polite and I got sick of it. We argued and I eventually got it done. _He_ decided that I was overcharging and refused to pay what I was asking. We went back-and-forth on it for a while, I had the program so I had the leverage and eventually got what I asked.”

Peridot took a sip before continuing.

“Before sending it to him I gave him the little ‘I’m dyslexic, I need to do another once-over to make sure it’s working’ it was, I just needed the excuse. I put into the code a very rude message, something like ‘I’m a clod who doesn’t know a thing about coding. I can’t even decide what pants to wear, and I don’t know how much hard work is worth’ and probably some more too. I set it to pop up when a certain combination of keys is put in and it’s not one a person normally uses.”

“Did he ever see it?” Amethyst asked with a smile.

Peridot shrugged. “No clue, I kind of hope not. Word of mouth and a good reputation are how I get business. I was inexperienced and didn’t know any better, it’s still funny, but I wouldn’t do that again,” Peridot smirked. “Instead I just bury my rants where only another programmer can find it.”

Amethyst snickered. “So I guess the lesson is to not piss off a programmer.”

“Oh, no, what I do is nothing compared to what wait-staff does. My messages are hidden so the lousy customer can never see it.”

“Sometimes the satisfaction of knowing it’s there is the best feeling.”

“I hear that.”

They finished their main course while talking about silly topics.

“Before we eat dessert, I was thinking that we could open presents. I’m _dying_ to know what’s in the huge box.” Sure enough, Amethyst would not take her eye off of it.

With an amused expression Peridot passed her gift to Amethyst who pulled a small box out of her purse and gave it to her partner.

This gift was the size of a jewelry box. “Um, I didn’t get you anything pricey. I actually made your gift.”

“Don’t sweat it, I wasn’t expecting a present, and homemade’s great. I mean, it’s one-of-a-kind, that’s awesome,” Amethyst started opening the large box. “And by the way, I didn’t spend a ton of money either.”

As soon as the box was opened Amethyst’s eyes went wide and her shoulders shook with suppressed chuckles. She pulled out a large crocheted puma.

“You made me a puma, it’s big, really cool,” Amethyst took a close look at its face. “Man, look at those eyes!”

“Yeah,” Peridot rubbed the back of her neck, “it ended up so big because the only purple yarn I had was blanket yarn.”

“So did you stitch the eyes yourself? They’re really detailed.”

“I did stitch them,” Peridot replied, full of pride. “It’s tiny intricate work, three layers of thread and attaching them was tricky too.”

“This is awesome, thanks,” Amethyst put the puma next to her with a smile. “So, you gonna open yours?”

Peridot felt a lump in her throat, it really looked like it could be jewelry, not only does she not wear jewelry, it’s also expensive.

She opened the box and saw a pair of dark-green plugs with a star-shaped cutout in them. 

“Ah, so _that’s_ why you asked the gauge of my ears.”

The tepid reaction concerned Amethyst, _were Greg and Vidalia wrong about it being a good idea?_  “Yep, like, couples usually give each other jewelry but I know you’re not into it.”

“The stars are neat, did you pick them because I like aliens?”

Oh, so Peridot seemed to just be bad at receiving gifts. 

“I didn’t even think of that. Nah, I picked the stars to kinda say that you’re y’know… part of the family. Not like, in a creepy incest way,” Amethyst’s face was red. “That turned out wrong! Okay, so Rose loved stars and when she died we all started to keep a star somewhere on our bodies,” Amethyst hid her face behind her hands. “Oh no, when I say it out loud it sounds less sweet and more cult-ish.”

Peridot laughed. “No, it’s fine. It’s a really nice gesture. But are you sure it’s okay for me to wear them? Especially around Pearl, weren’t her and Rose…” Peridot put two of her fingers together, “…girlfriends?”

“Yeah, they were for years. But it’ll be fine.”

“Alright then, I’ll be sure to wear them, thank you.” A thought occurred to Peridot as she looked through the dessert menu, she didn’t have much of sweet tooth so finding something was proving difficult. “So where’s your star? I’ve seen Pearl’s earrings, and Garnet’s sleeve, but I’ve never seen yours.”

“I can’t show it to you right now,” Amethyst replied, she broke out in a chuckle-fit when she saw Peridot’s dropped jaw. “Nah, nowhere like that. It’s behind my ear, I was so young when Rose died and knew Pearl would freak out if I came home with a tattoo so I got it someplace she wouldn’t see.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t a minor need a guardian’s permission to get a tattoo? Or is that different in the states?”

Amethyst laughed. “Oh god, yeah, you’re right. But when you go to as many parties as I did you meet people. Well, one of my friends’ brother made this janky-ass tattoo gun, y’know, like they have in prison. You don’t need permission to get one with that.”

Peridot was astonished. ‘Wait, really? You actually got a tattoo like that?”

“Young and dumb Peri, young and dumb.”

“Did it turn out well?”

“Sort of, there’s no shading or colour or nothing but the lines are straight at least. A part of me wants to get it touched-up by a professional but at the same time, Rose knew me when I was a teen so in a way it’s fitting the way it is.”

Amethyst thought of something as she tried to decide between chocolate cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and a slice of fifteen layer chocolate cake. What, she was in the mood for chocolate. “So have you ever gotten a tattoo?”

“Have I ever… that’s an interesting way of phrasing it,” as the waitress took their orders Peridot processed the question. “Ah, right, the burns. No, I’ve never gotten a tattoo. It’s so permanent, you know.”

“And your mods aren’t?” Amethyst smirked.

“Technically no, a plastic surgeon can fix my ears and it’d be painful but I can get my tongue fused, although that wouldn’t be worth it. Meanwhile, tattoo removal technology hasn’t been perfected yet. It may interest you, however, that I used to have nipple piercings.”

This did interest Amethyst. “You get bored of them and take ‘em out?”

“No, when,” Peridot put her hand over the left side of her chest, “that happened I took the one I had left out.” She giggled. “It’s a bit silly, the asymmetry was bothering me. I don’t know why though, my whole body’s asymmetrical now.”

“Makes sense to me, you want your piercings to match. I’m the opposite, I made mine not match on purpose.”

“That’s true, I’ve been thinking about that piercing some more. You know, the barbell one. I might get it on one side, both may look a bit silly.”

“So which side?” Amethyst was actually hoping Peridot would go through with it.

“I’m undecided. I’m leaning towards the left but, well… that’s where my burns are and a part of me doesn’t want to draw more attention to them.”

“Think of it this way, drawing more attention to ‘em also looks like you’re embracing your burns and sorta rocking them. I mean, I can’t talk since I have nothing like that ‘cept maybe my chest but uh, if I did I’d wanna show it off. Like, let everyone know that I survived and still going strong, y’know?”

Amethyst would’ve leaned forward to emphasize her point but dessert had arrived.

Peridot thanked the waitress then continued the conversation. “You’re really good at getting me to look at things in a different light.” Peridot composed her thoughts, “I’m not embarrassed or ashamed, if I were I’d have my hair like this more often. But at the same time, I never want too much attention drawn to it, or myself for that matter.” She sighed heavily. “I think I’m just still getting used to it. Which is funny since it’s already been three years.”

“Think about it Per, three years is nothing compared to twenty-something.”

“That’s true,” Peridot said with a giggle. “It probably doesn’t help that I was bald for a while.”

“You were? So did it all… burn off?”

“Oh no, you just can’t have hair in the way of skin grafts so they had to shave some of mine off. When it grew back my hair looked so patchy and awful since they didn’t shave my whole head. It bothered me so I hopped over to the barber’s shop and had him shave it all off.”

Amethyst chuckled. “You’re a girl of extremes, aren’t ya?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Peridot rubbed one of her earlobes.

They shared a laugh and finished dessert.

When it came time to pay the bill Peridot absolutely insisted that she covered the tip at the very least.

Amethyst eventually let her because Peridot’s face clearly said, “I will never give in, I will argue this until the restaurant closes.”

Peridot walked Amethyst to her car after the bill was settled.

“I had a wonderful evening,” Peridot said as Amethyst fit her new Puma in the back seat. “Thank you.”

Amethyst stood up and gently pulled Peridot towards her. “You’re welcome Peri.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes then leaned in for a kiss.

It started off gentle and reserved and eventually let into something deeper. Over the months Peridot’s kisses became more confident and stronger. But Amethyst was bolder and initiated the tongue-kiss. She explored the divide in Peridot’s tongue causing her partner to melt in her arms.

“Stars Amethyst,” Peridot spoke when they separated for air, her cheeks were flush.

Amethyst chuckled. “Got a little carried away there.”

“Oh I’m not complaining,” Peridot looked around and saw nobody. “I kind of want to continue.”

With a smile Amethyst ran her hands along the top of Peridot’s hips feeling her seldom-seen figure through her suit. And Peridot put her hand on the crook of Amethyst’s back getting a feel of that wonderful body fat.

Amethyst deeply kissed Peridot’s neck making sure to avoid the scarred side, she learned early on that Peridot could only really feel pressure and dampness which isn’t nearly as pleasurable as feeling the subtle movements.

She moved her hands up Peridot’s back then ran her fingers through Peridot’s hair enjoying the rare opportunity.

Peridot giggled and the vibrations made Amethyst break down into giggles too.

“God damn it Peri,” Amethyst wasn’t actually mad, she found Peridot’s giggle-fits endearing. “It’s hard to kiss when laughing.”

Peridot was the first to calm down. “You know I can’t help it.” She kissed Amethyst’s round jaw and slowly trailed down her neck.

“You’re getting good with that tongue of yours,” for once Amethyst was blushing.

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Peridot said slyly.

They put their foreheads together getting ready for another round of kisses but unfortunately they heard a loud conversation getting even louder.

“Damn,” Peridot thought the same thing. “Guess that’s all for tonight.”

The interruption clearly irritated Peridot. “Well, you could always come to my place.”

“Can’t, I work tomorrow.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Not like we’ll never see each other again, right.”

“True. So then, until next time,” Peridot kissed Amethyst on the cheek.

“Yep, next time,” Amethyst kissed Peridot back.

“Until then. I love you, bye.”

“Love you too, ‘night Peri.”

They hugged and Peridot walked to her car with a warm feeling coursing through her body.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune Diamont was a force in Peridot’s life. She was the main reason Peridot was so poorly adjusted and is still jumpy at times.
> 
> Those boreing silver eyes, the reason Peridot has considered wearing coloured contacts on multiple occasions.
> 
> Logically she wouldn’t be coming to Beach City, it’s been a whole month without hearing more about the situation.
> 
> But things didn’t sit right with Peridot.
> 
> Soon she would find out why.

“Is it weird that I’m still worried about my mother?” Peridot asked.

“No, like, dude, she broke some of your bones, it’d be weird if you weren’t worried,” Amethyst replied.

“But it’s been over a month with no word!”

“A month’s not that long.”

“I suppose…” Peridot didn’t look much better.

“Maybe you should take self-defense lessons from Pearl,” Amethyst suggested.

Peridot mulled it over. “I suppose that could come in handy.”

“Aw dude, she can teach you how to use a sword,” Amethyst was more than enthusiastic. “You could get one of those cool swords that double as a cane! Some jackass’ll try to pick you off then you can whip out your cane-sword!”

Peridot found Amethyst’s enthusiasm contagious, but there was an issue. “Aren’t concealed blades illegal?”

Amethyst scratched her cheek. “I dunno, maaaaayybe you should look into that. But dude, a cane-sword!”

Appreciation filled Peridot’s body, she leaned on Amethyst’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Amethyst sounded confused. “What for?”

“Being okay with my disabilities,” Peridot sounded sad.

“Ah Peri… of course I am. You’d have to be the worst of the worst to not be.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And they don’t make you any less cute, sweet, nerdy, and just awesome overall.”

Peridot blushed. “You’re pretty awesome yourself. I’m so happy we’re dating.”

“Me too,” Amethyst was also a little red. “You’re the best partner I’ve ever had.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

 

* * *

 

A couple days later Peridot came over to the beach house, she brought a duffel bag with a change of clothes in it.

“Hey Peri,” Amethyst smiled and waved. A glint on Peridot’s ear caught her eye. “Ah coool, you got that piercing.”

“Yep,” Peridot said with a small smile.

Amethyst inspected it. “Looks good.”

“Thanks,” Peridot laughed a bit. “It was surprisingly painful.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Yep,” she touched one of her earrings, “poking a hole through cartilage kinda sucks.” She leaned towards Peridot. “So, which hurt worse? Getting your tongue split or the piercing?”

“I have to think about that one. My tongue was split with a burning hot scalpel,” Amethyst’s eyes went wide when she heard that. “And I had to go twice since the first cut couldn’t go as far back as I wanted. But it wasn’t  _that_  painful. Still hurt of course, but the piercing was a sharper pain but didn’t take as long.” Peridot hummed in thought.

“Jesus Peri, I could never do that.”

“Hm? It’s not that bad. There’s also another method. You know how sometimes cheese is sliced with a wire? Think something like that. They take the wire and clamp your tongue then-”

“Nope,” Amethyst cut Peridot off. “No more about that. The burning scalpel thing doesn’t sound so bad suddenly.”

Peridot giggled. “You didn’t strike me as the squeamish type.”

“Yeah,” Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I must confess, I get a bit squeamish around broken bones.” Peridot went against her instinct to add, “that just happens when you see your own knee shards.”

“But that’s about it, huh.”

“Pretty much, yeah. Studying biology helped with that.”

“Alright you two.”

Pearl’s voice startled Peridot and Amethyst. The soldier-turned-dancer hasn’t lost her touch.

“If you’re done talking I have a lesson to teach.”

“Oh, okay,” that was quicker than Peridot expected. “I need to change first.”

“I’ll meet you in the back yard,” and with that, Pearl left.

Peridot quickly changed into a tanktop and shorts, the closest thing she had to athletic wear. Then she went into the backyard and saw Pearl standing there waiting near some rose bushes.

“Glad you could show up. Now, we’ll start with some stretches then run laps to warm up.”

“Oh, so you’re not just jumping into the lesson?” Peridot asked.

Pearl put her hands on her hips. “No, of course not, do you want cramps?”

“Alright, just let me change my foot.”

So Peridot did then Pearl led her through some stretches before running laps.

When they were finished Peridot doubled-over and started coughing hard.

“Hey, you okay?” Amethyst asked.

“Well, I’m not coughing up black gunk,” Peridot joked as she pulled out her inhaler.

Pearl raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t used to have asthma.”

“Smoke inhalation,” Peridot responded after a couple puffs. “It’s not uncommon.”

“Well,” Pearl ran over Peridot’s physical limitations in her head before continuing to speak, “at least you don’t need to run around when fending off an attacker. You’ll need to run away of course but other then that.”

“Remember, my main concern is well over a foot taller than me.”

“That’s not important in this case, no matter how tall a person is they have the same bone and muscle structure as any other.”

“Okay.”

“Are you ready for the lesson?”

“Yep,” Peridot put her inhaler away.

“Alright,” Pearl cleared her throat. “You should avoid punching somebody in the face, you’re at high risk of breaking your knuckles if you do that. If you want to strike a person’s face do it with either your elbow or the heel of your hand, like this,” Pearl demonstrated and Peridot copied her. “Close, your thumb wasn’t placed correctly.” She showed Peridot again and Peridot got it. “Excellent.”

They went over the move a few times before Pearl moved on.

“Of course when against somebody as tall as you claim your mother is you should strike their solar plexus with your elbow. In fact, your elbows and knees are valuable weapons.”

Peridot laughed with a crooked smile. “Well, my elbows perhaps.”

“Ah, right,” Pearl glanced at the scar on Peridot’s knee then fidgeted with her fingers.

“Pearl, it was a joke,” Peridot was too used to talking to Lapis and Amethyst apparently. She decided to get things back on track. “So, any special way I should use my elbows?”

Pearl regained her vigor and spent the next few hours teaching Peridot self-defense.

 

* * *

 

A week later Peridot went to the beach house short of breath of barely able to walk.

“It can’t be happening,” ran through her mind on a loop.

She even had a hard time knocking on the door.

Almost as if she predicted Peridot’s arrival Garnet opened the door.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“My mother,” Peridot struggled to even get that out.

Garnet didn’t seem surprised or perhaps that was just Garnet being Garnet.

“Please, come in.”

Peridot complied and sat on the couch, Garnet called Pearl and Amethyst into the room. It didn’t take long for them to arrive.

“Okay Peridot,” Garnet took charge, “I need you to calmly explain what’s going on.”

“I got this e-mail,” Peridot pulled it up on her phone then placed the device on the table for everyone to see.

 

> Peridot.
> 
>      I am in the area and would like to meet up with you. I heard about your financial situation and have a proposition for you.
> 
>      E-mail me the address of a decent restaurant so we can meet there.
> 
>                                                                                                                                                                          Jaune Diamont

Amethyst blurted out, “What a frigid bitch.”

And Pearl glared at her. “Language.”

“Yeah, I think there’s something more important going on here,” Amethyst gave Pearl a dirty look.

“It’s good that she wants to meet in a public place,” Garnet said.

“What should I do?” Peridot’s voice was quiet.

“This is a tough one,” Garnet gave it some thought. “If you refuse she may hunt you down. I looked into her and her company, she has the means. So you should agree to meet at the restaurant. At least it’s crowded. And because of that I can sit at a table near you without arousing suspicion. That way if things take a turn for the worse I can intervene.”

Peridot looked up. “You would do that for me?”

“Of course,” Garnet placed her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “You’re a Crystal Gem like us.”

“When you say it like that it kinda sounds like a gang,” Amethyst said with a chuckle. “But yeah, we’ve got your back.”

“I’ll be there too,” Pearl added then smirked. “I doubt she’s ever seen real combat so she’s completely outmatched.”

“Thank you so much,” Peridot teared up, this was the safest she’s felt since the phone call.

“Okay, you need to reply to this e-mail; I’ll walk you through it,” and so, Garnet did.

 

* * *

 

The arranged date arrived, Peridot walked to the restaurant. Her knee was sore but Lapis needed the car.

She took a deep breath then opened the door.

A quick look in the waiting area and Peridot didn’t see her mother anywhere. Jaune’s usually very punctual.

Peridot’s heart pounded as she walked up to the hostess.

“Um, hi,” Peridot shyly waved. “Has a Jaune Diamont arrived yet?”

The hostess didn’t recognize the name.

“She’s uh, my mother and she’s…”

Peridot trailed off when she felt somebody stand next to her, she looked at this new presence.

A very tall imposing woman, one may argue that at six-foot-five she didn’t need high heels but that didn’t stop her from wearing them.

Her hips were wide and her shoulders were broad making her even more intimidating, she wore a perfectly tailored golden suit-jacket with shoulder pads making her upper body look larger than it already is.

This woman dwarfed Peridot.

Her long sharp face with its high cheekbones permanently showed displeasure. Her hair was short and perfectly maintained, the only sign that the blonde isn’t natural was her thick black eyebrows.

And those eyes.

Those piercing silver eyes.

Peridot’s breath hitched, her mother was somehow scarier than she remembered.

She briefly thought that she was lucky to just end up with a broken knee and back.

“Nevermind,” Peridot’s voice was quiet as she spoke to the hostess. “She just arrived.”

Peridot turned to Jaune. “Hello, it’s been a while.”

Those silver eyes bored into Peridot and displeasure turned to disgust at the sight of the choices Peridot’s made with her body. “Yes, it has been.”

Everybody in the room could sense the bad-blood between them.

Having been briefed by Garnet, their waiter led them to their table then they sat down.

“Don’t you have any self-respect?” Jaune eyed Peridot’s cane, the nitpicking began the second the waiter left.

“‘Self respect’ is why my knee didn’t heal properly,” Peridot retorted. 

Thankfully that didn’t cause Jaune to fly off the handle. “You have a backbone at least.”

It actually took a lot for Peridot to not say, “a broken one.”

Jaune gave Peridot another once-over. “So where do you work?”

“Oh, from home,” Peridot replied, Jaune wasn’t surprised. “I’m a freelance programmer.”

“Are you paid well?”

Peridot shrugged, “Enough to get by.”

“Is that so?” Jaune looked over her glass mid-sip.

“Yeah, I mean, it could be better so I won’t be living on my own any time soon. But my roommate and I get along fairly well.”

“Was the dog a necessary expense?”

“Yes, he was.”

“I looked into the breed, it costs two-thousand dollars on average,and you also have to pay to feed it and groom it.”

“I’ve made room in my budget for Max’s expenses. I’ve actually gotten very good at budgeting.”

“Have you now?” Jaune’s skepticism was obvious. “So then why, after three years are you still in debt?”

Their food arrived just before Peridot could respond.

She thanked the waiter then when her and Jaune were alone again she gave her reply. “The cost of living is quite high in the US and my medical bills were expensive, and home-insurance only covers so much.”

“And there aren’t  _any_  expenses you could have cut out? Did you need to desecrate your body?”

“Desecrate?”

“Your ears having gaping holes in them, I heard that you got your tongue cut in two, and that piercing is distasteful as well.”

“Even so, I think ‘desecrate’ is a bit of a strong word.”

“Don’t push it Peridot.”

“As for the money issue, those things hardly cost anything.” Peridot opted to not tell Jaune that her dad paid for a few of those things. He didn’t deserve a phone call from her.

Jaune took a bite of her meal and made a face. “Is this really your idea of a decent restaurant?”

“Its the best I can reach on-foot.”

Amethyst was fuming as she listened to Peridot’s exchange with her mother. Jaune would not stop picking Peridot apart.

“Fuck, I wanna punch that bitch.”

“Stay calm,” Garnet placed her hand on Amethyst’s fist. “You knew going in that she would do this.”

“Frankly, I expected worse,” Pearl said.

“They’re in public and Jaune can’t risk the bad P.R. so she can’t get violent,” Garnet’s plan was going well. But seeing a mother act like that didn’t sit well with her either. 

Jaune put down her knife and fork. “I can’t eat this garbage anymore. Let’s cut to the chase. I originally wanted to hire you but after seeing how you present yourself I’m having second-thoughts.” 

“What?”

“If you go to every job interview looking like that I can see why nobody will hire you.”

“Job interview?”

“What did you think this was?” Jaune’s tone was ice-cold.

“I don’t know,” Peridot threw up her hands. “That you’re my mother and it’s been over a decade since we last saw each other. Maybe I thought that you wanted to make amends. Maybe,” Peridot’s voice rose, “I thought you might have changed! But you didn’t!”

“Why would I have? I never did anything wrong.”

Peridot slammed her hands on the table and stood up.  **“Never did anything wrong!**  What about my knee and back?!”

Jaune loomed over Peridot. “I didn’t do that to you on purpose.”

“Not according to the records,” Peridot met Jaune’s eyes, adrenaline coursing through her body. “But you and I both know that you used your money and influence to get away with what you did to me!”

“Watch it.”

“Or what? You’ll hit me? You’ll ruin your reputation?”

“I don’t need the business from this podunk little town.”

“You’re so high-and-mighty aren’t ya? You…  **you clod!”**  Peridot’s heart was pounding.

Jaune looked the angriest Peridot’s ever seen, her veins bulged out on her face and neck, she made a fist. But the second Jaune’s diamond-studded hand closed Garnet was between her and Peridot, and Amethyst and Pearl stood next to Peridot ready to fight.

“Not another movement,” Garnet’s voice was firm.

“Do you think you can intimidate me?” Jaune glared down at her.

“Perhaps not, but it may interest you that I am an officer of the law,” Garnet returned Jaune’s glare. “Now, I want you to leave Beach City and never come back. If I hear you’ve returned I will do everything in my power to put you behind bars.”

Jaune sneered. “This isn’t worth my time.”

And with that, she left.

Peridot collapsed in her chair on the verge of a panic-attack. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“She got torn-down by the Peri-dactly!” Amethyst was hyped and wanted Peridot to be too.

“I can’t believe I just did that.”

It didn’t work.

“I can’t believe you called her a ‘clod’ right to her face,” Pearl laughed. 

“I can’t believe I just did that,” Peridot’s crisis continued.

Garnet put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “Let’s calm down.”

Peridot looked up at her. “Okay.”

Everybody sat at the table with Peridot.

“I’ll help you take steps to file a restraining order,” Garnet was the first to speak. “With one of those she can’t legally touch you.”

“Hopefully,” Peridot said, mostly over the shock of telling-off her mother.

“Not ‘hopefully,’ definitely.”

Peridot clutched her stomach and groaned. “I hope she doesn’t sue me for slander.”

“What? No way can she do that,” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “Right?”

“Jaune doesn’t have a case,” Garnet replied. “If Jaune does try to sue Peridot there will be witnesses to set the record straight.”

“Yeah, so you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Amethyst hugged Peridot.

“Okay, thank you,” Peridot looked at her friends and girlfriend. “All of you.”

“I’d say ‘any time’ but with any luck we won’t have to do this again,” Pearl tried to tell a joke. 

Peridot laughed at the attempt.

“Well, if it’s alright with you I’d like to finish eating, I’m pretty hungry.”

Garnet offered to pay for the meal and Peridot let her pay for Jaune’s half. Then Peridot finished her lunch with the rest of the “Crystal Gems.”

 

* * *

 

The ordeal with her mother wiped Peridot out so she went straight home and collapsed on the couch.

Max quickly ran into the living room and poked and prodded her until she acknowledged him.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Peridot plopped him onto her chest.

Lapis wasn’t home so Peridot talked to Max.

“As you know, I saw my mother.”

Max quirked his head.

“Yep, in some ways it went better than I expected. She didn’t insult me too much and she never struck me. She tried, but Garnet intervened.”

Peridot sighed. “The exhausting part was when I gave into my emotions and called her a clod. It feels kind of good to get that off of my chest but she’s even bigger than Garnet.”

Max raised his ears.

“I know, right? Bigger than Garnet! Thankfully Garnet raised a good point and is a police officer so she had a good way to dissuade my mother.”

“And Garnet even offered to help me file a restraining order.”

Another quirked head.

“It’s this thing saying that one person can’t come within x amount of feet as another.”

Max yawned.

“Yep, with one of those I can rest easy. One less stress in my life, that’s for sure.”

Peridot ruffled Max’s fur with a smile, he did his job, he helped her sort out her thoughts and feelings.

And for that, he deserved a treat.

 

* * *

 

When Lapis got home Peridot went over what happened with Jaune. Then they finished their day like any other. The only change was Peridot being less uneasy.

Peridot’s phone rang as she was changing into her pajamas. She quickly answered it.

“Hello?”

_“How’d it go?” the familiar voice at the other end sounded very concerned._

“It went fine,” Peridot replied. “And hi dad.”

_“Oh, hi,” Angel sounded a bit embarrassed. “I was so worried that I forgot to greet you.”_

Peridot laughed. “That’s understandable. Anyway, to elaborate. Mother picked me apart as you’d expect. Then she revealed that she wanted to hire me but changed her mind when she saw how I look. Or at least that was the reason she gave me.” Peridot’s tone turned bitter. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she just wanted to give me false-hope.”

_“I understand your line of thinking but that’s not really her style. She hates wasted time and effort.”_

“That’s true. Anyway, I lost my temper and called her a clod.”

_Angel sighed. “Oh dear… What happened after that?” His fear was clear._

“Well, she wanted to punch me. But thankfully Garnet, the police officer, stepped in and threatened to arrest her.”

_“That’s good, but I worry about her coming back. Garnet won’t always be there.”_

“Don’t worry, word quickly spreads around Beach City and Garnet’s going to help me file a restraining order.” Peridot smiled. “Everything’s under control.”

_“I’m so glad to hear,” Angel sounded like he was tearing up. He recovered. “Wait, what’s wrong with how you look?”_

Peridot chuckled. “Dad, you’re the one who let me change my image. I don’t look that different from when I was eighteen. Well,” Peridot felt a bit guilty, “I did break the limit you set for stretching my earlobes.”

_Angel actually laughed. “Peridot, I set that limit because you were young and still figuring yourself out. I didn’t want you to regret something so visible and not easily reversed. You’re old enough now to know what you want to do with yourself.” He paused. “So, how big are they?”_

It was then that Peridot realized that she got her curiosity from her dad.

“Big enough to fit my thumb through,” Peridot replied,

_There was a shuffle as Angel put his thumb against his earlobe. “Wow, that’s really big.” There was a slight hesitation before he asked, “you’re happy with it, right?”_

“Yeah,” Peridot rubbed the back of her neck. “I mean, I sort of regretted the last stretching at first. Two centimetres is hardly anything on paper. But uh, it’s kind of a lot when it has to do with your ears. I’ve gotten used to it and I’m happy with the decision. But… that’s the last time I’ll be stretching my ears.” Peridot laughed awkwardly.

_“Like I said, you’re old enough to know how far you want to go with it.”_

Is it normal for a mixed Japanese/Filipino dad to be so okay with body mods?

Peridot concluded that no, no it’s not. 

“Thanks dad.”

_“You’re welcome, but why are you thanking me?”_

Deja vu.

“For being so cool of course.”

_“Aw, come on, I’m a huge dweeb,” Angel was obviously blushing._

“But you’re a cool dweeb,” Peridot started to blush too. “Thank you for being such a great dad. I don’t want to think about where I’d be without you.” She teared up a bit.

_“Oh Peridot,” Angel sniffled. “I’m your dad, of course I’ll be there for you.”_

“Mother wasn’t.”

_“Yeah, well, your mother’s a horrible person. You’re the only good thing that came out of our marriage. And I’m beyond proud of you.”_

Peridot broke down crying.

_“Oh no, I made you cry!”_

“I love you so much dad.”

_“I love you too,” Angel started to cry too._

It took a bit for them to recover then they moved on to light-hearted topics.

In that moment Peridot loved and appreciated her dad even more than ever before.

A part of her hoped that maybe one day she could make a child as happy as he makes her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confrontation with Jaune Diamont went fairly well. For the first time in a while Peridot’s life wasn’t a complete mess full of stress.  
> Well, apart from the usual stress of debt and just anxiety in general.  
> Peridot was in a relationship with a wonderful beautiful hilarious woman.  
> This woman’s family welcomed Peridot with open arms and have helped with some major things.  
> Things were going great for Peridot.

Peridot stretched out and took in the sun shining through her window.

What a wonderful beautiful day.

The restraining order was filed.

Thanks to woodworking and sewing she figured out how to sleep in Amethyst’s bed without killing her back. She made a board to lay on one side of the bed.

Things were finally looking up for Peridot. Even in terms of money. She’s been working extra hard and her reputation has finally hit a level where she’s been getting a lot more work. She was now able to move out and into a place nicer than a shitty tiny apartment in a terrible neighbourhood.

Although she’d prefer something better and Lapis did say that she could keep living with her as long as she’d like. 

Peridot didn’t see the next ordeal just around the corner.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst looked at Peridot and smiled. Her partner’s mood was at an all-time high. It was nice to see that cute lopsided smile more and more often.

This time it was present as Peridot was playing ski-ball.

“Man Peri, you’re really kicking ass today,” Amethyst was at the machine next to Peridot’s; she rolled her ball and got the lowest value. “How do you do it?”

“It’s actually just a matter of knowing the exact slope and having good control over your power and angle,” Peridot explained as she got another ball in the highest scoring hole. “Each machine is ever-so-slightly different and you must account for that.”

“So I take it that’s why you always play on that one.”

“Correct,” another hit.

“You gotta teach me sometime,” another miss.

“Alright,” Peridot threw her last ball then walked over to Amethyst and observed. “You’re throwing a bit too hard and your wrist keeps twisting.”

“Yeah, I kinda fucked it up while homeless.”

“Oh. Well, you’ll just need to account for it.”

Peridot watched Amethyst roll a few more balls up the slope slowly adjusting the angle and curiosity got the better of her.

“So how did you break your wrist?”

“Shit, man… that day is a blur,” Amethyst laughed. “After I broke my wrist I stole a homeless guy’s booze and drank until the pain went numb.”

“O-oh…” Peridot didn’t know what to say.

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Amethyst waved her hand. “That’s behind me now. I’m like a shark, always moving forward.”

Peridot couldn’t help frowning, that… isn’t healthy.

Before she could say anything she heard Mr. Smiley’s voice.

“Dag-nabbit, Punch Buddy broke down again!”

Peridot was torn, address Amethyst’s issues… or help Mr. Smiley by digging into a machine…

Mr. Smiley sounded very upset and she could talk to Amethyst some other time so Peridot decided to see if she can help him.

“Would you like me to look at it?”

“Oh, Peridot,” she had startled him. “How much do you know about fixing games?”

“Well, I’ve fixed a few broken consoles and handhelds,” Peridot replied. “I also studied engineering in college and was in the robotics club.”

Mr. Smiley seemed surprised. “Heck of a lot more than I did when I started this.” He stood up. “Alright, take a look.” His eyes looked firm but he was still smiling. “But if you break it you have to pay for the professional repairs.”

Peridot rolled up her sleeves and got to work as Mr. Smiley and Amethyst watched. Amethyst had no idea what was going on and even Mr. Smiley had a bit of trouble keeping up with Peridot’s fast motions.

Before they knew it Peridot asked Amethyst to test the game.

“You need to eat some spinach,” the machine said as it displayed an abysmally low score.

“Are you kidding me?” Amethyst protested, “that was my strongest punch!”

“I’ve seen you punch,” Peridot frowned and gave the machine one of her newly-honed punches.

“Was that a mosquito bite?” The machine displayed the lowest score possible.

“I’m not _that_  weak,” Peridot’s slight muscle definition was clear as she rested her chin on her hand. “There must be something wrong with the pressure-plate.” She turned to Mr. Smiley. “Do you have a spare?”

He sighed. “No, and this machine is so old that parts for it are impossible to find.”

“Well, if you give me a week or two I could fix it,” Peridot offered hesitantly. 

“Sure,” Mr. Smiley took her offer with one of his more genuine smiles. “He’s doing me no good like this anyway. But remember, if he breaks you pay for ‘im.”

“Understood,” Peridot offered a handshake and Mr. Smiley accepted it. “I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thanks kid.”

Unfortunately Peridot hadn’t even considered how she’d get the big heavy machine home.

_Fortunately_  Amethyst had the good idea of calling in an old friend, Greg Universe, Steven’s dad. A man Peridot’s only seen a few times as he picked up Steven for father-son day. He seemed nice enough.

And sure enough, he was. Greg had no problem at all with helping load the machine onto his van and driving Peridot home. When they got there he helped unload it. All while smiling and playing songs on cassettes.

Thankfully Amethyst understood that Peridot was eager to start on her new project and agreed to hang out with her later.

They separated with a kiss and Peridot immediately got to work on that pressure-plate.

 

* * *

 

It only took a few days for Peridot to fix Punch Buddy. Greg was nice enough to drop her and the machine off at the arcade.

Mr. Smiley inspected it and seemed impressed. 

“So did you add that thing we discussed?” He asked.

“Yep, I added the sensitivity adjuster,” Peridot replied, she reached around the dummy and pointed at a well-hidden zipper with a small lock on it. “I tried to hide the modification both to not ruin the aesthetic and so people hopefully can’t find it and cheat.”

“Excellent,” the smile on Mr. Smiley’s face almost seemed diabolical, he did try to rig the ring toss after all.

Peridot bet that he wanted to rig Punch Buddy.

A part of her regretted giving him this power.

But the cheque being passed to her made that regret go away.

“Now, it isn’t much but I couldn’t not pay you,” Mr. Smiley said. “You did a bang-up job.”

“Thank you Mr. Smiley.”

“Would you be up for fixing my other machines too? I’ll pay you for it of course.”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Enthusiastic somehow wasn’t a strong enough word to describe Peridot’s response.

Mr. Smiley laughed. “Good! I don’t have any work for you at the moment but I’ll call you when I do.”

“Oh,” something occurred to Peridot, “would you be able to drop off and pick up the machines? I only have a two-door car and I don’t want to keep bothering Greg.”

“I’ll try, but most repairs will be simple enough for you to do here in the arcade.”

“You’re okay with me just working for you in plain sight?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Mr. Smiley’s brow furrowed.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a ‘front-desk face,’” Peridot didn’t get why he didn’t see that plain-as-day.

“Now who told you that ridiculous crap?” The smile was still present but Mr. Smiley looked mad.

“A lot of people, not with words but the disgusted looks say it all,” Peridot thought for a moment. “Well, my mother put it into words fairly recently.”

“From what I hear your mother’s a real piece of work. Don’t give anything that woman says any value.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.”

“You’re a good kid, all those employers really missed out.”

Mr. Smiley patted Peridot’s shoulder. “Now how about you give Punch Buddy a few shots before I make him tougher?”

 

* * *

 

“I can’t dance.”

Amethyst had called the next week asking if Peridot wanted to go to a rave.

_“Aw Peri. Half the people don’t dance anyway so you won’t stand out.”_

Peridot sighed. “Even so, aren’t drugs all over the place at raves?”

_“Not this one. Sour Cream’s are clean, he’s a good kid. And you’ll like the music he plays. You’re into dubstep, right?”_

“Yeah, I am. But, uh, are we going to be the only adults there?” Peridot hoped her voice didn’t sound like she thought that adults going to a teenager’s rave was weird. 

_“Nope! Ages six to… however old Nanafua is.”_

Peridot himmed and hawed for a bit. “Okay, I’ll go. But if I don’t enjoy myself I get to leave early and you have to indulge me.”

_“How so?”_

“My knee has been bothering me lately and your kisses are the only cure.”

_Amethyst laughed. “I’ll do ya one better and throw in some kisses on your stump too.”_

“I don’t understand how you enjoy that; it gets so sweaty. I mean, I won’t complain.”

_“You know I like the taste of salt.”_

“Eeeeewwww,” Peridot giggled.

Amethyst laughed and they talked for a bit after making their plans. 

 

* * *

 

Peridot didn’t expect the rave to be at the same warehouse as Amethyst’s wrestling matches.

She had decided to wear a dark shirt with a glow-in-the-dark UFO print on it under a bright-green hoodie. She debated wearing shorts because her prosthetic foot would glow under a blacklight but it was too chilly for that.

Amethyst arrived wearing a bright pink hoodie with a white shirt underneath it. During the cooler months Amethyst had started to wear jeans with star-shaped patches on the knees.

“Hey Peri! Lookin’ good.”

They hugged and kissed. 

“Thank you, you look good too.”

“Shall we head in?” Amethyst offered her arm and Peridot took it.

The rave was already underway, an interesting mix of dubstep and chiptunes pulsed through the warehouse. A good number of people were dancing with glowsticks in their hands.

Much to Peridot relief there were also people not dancing and were instead talking and drinking, if Amethyst was correct, non-alcoholic beverages.

“You gonna try dancing?” Amethyst asked Peridot.

“No,” Peridot replied, “you can though. I’ll enjoy watching you.”

Amethyst frowned. “Alright. You know, you don’t have to be good at it.” 

“I know,” Peridot sighed. “I just don’t want my knee to give out in public. Or for my unfeeling feet to slip.”

“Feet?”

“Nerve damage.”

“Ah. Okay, I’ll be sure to dance extra good for you.” Somebody caught Amethyst’s eye. “Ugh, see that douchie looking guy?”

Peridot looked where Amethyst was pointing and saw a brunette taking in the crowd.

“The one with the neckerchief?”

“Yeah, his name’s Kevin. He hits on every girl and doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Ew.”

“You bet, so stay away from him,” Amethyst tried to think about how to phrase the next sentence. “You’re probably safe since he’s into more feminine girls. But still be careful around him.”

“Will do.”

Amethyst joined the dancers like the old pro she is and Peridot tried her best to mingle. She ended up chatting with one of Sour Cream’s internet friends about video games.

Naturally Peridot didn’t get too sucked into the conversation to not look at Amethyst dancing. Amethyst would make eye-contact with Peridot every time she danced extra sexy.

The movements of Amethyst’s hands and hips were hypnotic and very pleasing to look at.

Just as things reached a high, Peridot heard a familiar shout.

“GET OUT OF HERE!”

Peridot’s heart pounded.  _What happened to Lapis?_

She rushed out towards the voice and saw Lapis with a very tall muscular woman with vitiligo and beige hair. She bared a bit of a resemblance to Amethyst actually…

Then Peridot remembered.

That’s Jasper!

As Peridot was about to greet her, Jasper spoke to Lapis.

“Why won’t you take me back? It’ll be better this time.”

Amethyst noticed that Peridot vanished and tracked her down. She looked between Lapis and Jasper.

“Because what we had was  _bad.”_

“I’ve changed,  _you’ve_  changed me,” Jasper took a step forward. “Lapis, please.”

Lapis’ voice was firm. “No! Jasper, I handcuffed you to a bed and didn’t let you go.”

“I asked you to do that.”

“Then when you changed your mind I kept going. It was awful.”

Something clicked in Jasper’s mind. “Y… yeah. You did keep going. But that’s what I wanted!”

“At first! But I didn’t respect that you changed your mind! Then we kept yelling at each other. The whole time we were together, just constant yelling and angry sex. That’s awful! Why do you want to come back to that?”

“Because I’m the only one strong enough to handle you!” Jasper sounded passionate but also a bit unhealthy. “I may be a brute but you’re a monster.”

And that’s what caused Peridot to step in. She would  **not**  let Lapis’ recovery take another sharp plummet.

“Lapis isn’t a monster,” Peridot said firmly.

“Peacock? What are you doing here; Amethyst says you don’t dance,” Jasper shook her head, she got off-topic. “You’re glaring at the wrong person.”

Amethyst stepped in. “Peri, seriously? You heard what Lapis did and you’re sticking up for her?”

“Lapis feels bad about what she did, that means she’s not a monster,” Peridot was miffed, Amethyst knows that Lapis is recovering from her horrible life.

“Fucking seriously,” Amethyst turned to face Jasper. “Did she ever say ‘I’m sorry’ to you?”

Jasper shook her head. “No.”

Amethyst slapped her thigh. “Fukkin’ knew it. Same goddamn thing she does to Peri.”

“You don’t have to say ‘I’m sorry’ to be sorry,” Peridot argued. “If you ask me, actions speak louder than words. Do you have any idea how many empty apologies I’ve heard over the years?”

“That doesn’t matter! Even if that’s true, Lapis does a shitty job of showing that she’s sorry. You still drop  _everything_  to care for her. Nothing’s changed! She hasn’t learned and neither have you!

“Hey, I’m standing right here,” Lapis interrupted. “Quit talking abou-”

“-SHUT UP!” Amethyst didn’t let her come close to finishing. “Just  **shut the fuck up!**  The only good thing you’ve ever done is take Peri in! And I’d argue that it ain’t even that good because you use her as an emotional sponge! She’s always a wreck after consoling you!”

Lapis looked at Peridot. “Is that true?”

“Not a wreck, Amethyst is exaggerating,” Peridot’s first instinct, as usual, was to make sure Lapis didn’t get too upset. 

“That’s it! I can’t take this anymore!” Amethyst threw up her hands. “C’mon Jasper. We’re leaving.” She grabbed Jasper by the wrist and started to storm off.

“Amethyst wait,” Peridot called after her. “There’s a good reason why I do that.” Peridot caught Lapis’ eye and couldn’t continue, not infront of her.

“Well?” Amethyst crossed her arms.

“It’s something we need to discuss in private,” Peridot approached Amethyst. “I’ll phone you tomorrow once we’ve cooled down.”

Amethyst glared at Peridot. “No, we’re doing this right now!”

“Okay, fine,” Peridot’s stomach felt twisted-up. Amethyst has never been this angry before. 

They walked somewhere private.

“So, what’s your  _great_  reason for making yourself miserable for a blue-haired bitch?” Amethyst’s voice was an unsettling mix of sarcasm and rage.

“And that’s why I wanted to wait,” Peridot’s irritation got the best of her.

Amethyst glared.

“Look,” Peridot said after taking a breath; in and out, just like her therapist taught her. “Lapis has been in a bad place for years. I need to help her out.”

“And why’s that?”

“I was getting to that,” Peridot snapped. She dragged her hand down her face.  _In and out._  “Because, when she’s happy I’m happy.”

Amethyst huffed and turned on her heel.

“I’m not finished,” Peridot said feebly.

“I’ve heard enough,” the look on Amethyst’s face was like a knife to Peridot’s gut. “You like her more than you like me.”

“What? No! Amethyst!”

“I should’ve known better! This always happens!”

“Amethyst, talk to me,” Peridot was confused.  _What always happens?_

“No! I’m  ** _done!_**  Goodbye Peridot.”

And with that, Amethyst was gone.

Somehow being called “Peridot” by Amethyst hurt worse than the yelling.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight left a void in Peridot’s heart. She’s never been close enough to somebody before for this to happen. She’s had fights before but never with somebody so wonderful. And over her roommate her she cares about dearly too.
> 
> A small part of Amethyst saw it coming. It always happens at some point. But why did it hurt so much this time? Why was Peridot the one that made it hurt the most? “Probably because she’s never yelled at me before” Amethyst reasoned.
> 
> No, that wasn’t it.

Peridot couldn’t sleep the night after her fight with Amethyst. Her mind was still reeling and racing trying to figure out what exactly she did wrong and how to fix it.

They hadn’t talked or texted or anything for two weeks.

It wore on Peridot, she was a wreck.

She felt awful for Max, he tried his very best but not even he could help.

Peridot had told her dad about it and his main piece of advice was to talk to Amethyst.

He didn’t know the full story but that advice is generally sound.

Problem is, Amethyst was ignoring Peridot.

He  _also_  said that there’s nothing wrong with breaking off a relationship if all it causes is pain.

But Angel was frankly, terrified that Amethyst would end up being Jaune 2.0.

Not that Peridot knew that.

She glanced at the table and saw a birthday invitation.

Her gut clenched when she saw the glittery pink letters that read:

> _Steven’s birthday!_
> 
> _Come to the family barn out in the country for cake and games and music and fun!_
> 
> _It’d make me a very happy Steven!  ☆_

She wanted to go because she adores Steven, he’s the little brother she’s never had.

But Amethyst is his guardian so she’ll be there.

Then again, this might be Peridot’s only chance to talk to Amethyst.

She decided to go.

 

* * *

 

Lapis needed the car so Peridot got a ride from Greg, she sat in the front while Connie was in the back seat.

Even they noticed that Peridot was doing poorly, her hair was split down the middle as if she gave up on getting it perfect like she normally would.

Greg looked at Peridot with a frown. “I’m not sure what happened between you and Amethyst but if you want any advice or just to talk, I’m here for you.” 

“Really?” Peridot couldn’t believe it. “But you’ve known Amethyst for much longer. You’re on my side?”

“There’s no ‘sides’ to this; you and Amethyst are both my friends and important in my son’s life. I don’t want to see either of you so miserable.”

“Thank you Greg,” Peridot remembered the child in the back seat. “But perhaps now might not be the best time.”

“Okay, maybe later. But Peridot, sometimes the best thing to do is talk,” Greg shrugged. “Worked for me and Rose.”

Peridot smiled. “My dad gave me the same advice.”

“Well there we go, you got a second opinion,” Greg smiled back.

The mood lightened considerably in the van. Greg and Connie helped keep Peridot’s mind off things.

But it couldn’t last.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst was at the party.

Of course she was, Steven’s her kid.

She made no eye-contact with Peridot. All she did was cross her arms and bore a hole in the ground with her eyes.

Greg, Connie, and Steven greeted each other exuberantly, but Peridot didn't care.

Something Greg said shocked Connie.

But Peridot couldn't care. She was too preoccupied with trying to figure out how to start the much-needed conversation with Amethyst.

The only thing to snap Peridot out of it was Steven squeezing her in a tight hug.

“I’m glad you came!”

Peridot had a bit of trouble smiling. “Happy birthday Steven.”

He noticed this, kid’s perceptive. “You and Amethyst are still fighting, huh.”

“Yeah,” Peridot sighed. “So I might have to leave early. It depends on how things go.” 

“I hope you two can make up.”

“Me too,” seeing Steven so depressed was hard for Peridot. “Hey, don’t worry about us, today’s your special day. Go have fun.”

Steven obliged but not before sadly looking between Peridot and Amethyst a few times.

Peridot approached Amethyst. “Can we talk?”

“Can’t, I gotta help set up the party,” Amethyst’s reply was terse, and a bit of a lie; Pearl and Garnet had it covered.

“Please, just this one talk,” Peridot decided to be a bit pushy. “After that I’ll stop pestering you.”

“Fine.”

Amethyst led Peridot to a secluded place far away from the barn.

They awkwardly stood there for an agonizing stretch of time.

It eventually became obvious that Amethyst wasn’t going to make the first step so Peridot did.

“Listen… I…”

Or at least she tried, but words failed her.

“Just spit it out,” Amethyst was quickly losing her patience.

“Why are you so difficult?” Peridot took a breath, in and out.  _I can’t screw up my last chance._

Peridot exhaled and hoped that it didn’t sound like a sigh. “Okay, so about Lapis. I already told you that I keep her happy so I can be happy,” Peridot noticed Amethyst’s glare. “There’s more to it than that-”

“Yeah,” Amethyst interrupted. “You like her more than me.”

The tone caught Peridot off-guard. “N… no, I don’t.”

“Admit it! This always happens!”

“What always happens?”

“My partner gets bored of me and moves on,” Amethyst was full-on crying at this point. “Just make it official already.”

“Amethyst…” Peridot slowly put her hand on Amethyst’s shoulder so as not to startle the woman. “No, that’s not what’s going on. Let’s forget about Lapis for now and talk about you.”

“What’s there to talk about? I’m awful and nobody wants to stay with me.”

“You’re not awful, you’re one of the best people I ever met. And _I_ want to stay with you.” 

“Liar.”

“No, it’s true. During our relationship, heck, even before that, when we met at that club, you’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been. And you helped me out a lot. You helped me see things from a new perspective, you were there for me when my mother came to town. You saved up so you could treat me. You’re… wonderful Amethyst.”

Peridot started to cry as well. “I wish I could make you that happy too.”

“Oh god,” Amethyst sighed and sat on the ground. “I got so wrapped up in my shit brain again.”

“Shit brain?” Peridot sat next to Amethyst.

“I got really bad anxiety or some shit and when I saw how you are with Lapis it went to the worse-case scenario,” Amethyst angrily groaned into her knees.

“Stay with me Amethyst,” Peridot cautiously held Amethyst by the shoulders.

“I don’t want you to think you can’t be friends with other girls. Partners like that are the worst.”

“I can understand where you’re coming from. I’ve tended to Lapis’ needs more than I have yours.”

“Still don’t make it right. I’m so sorry Peri.”

“Apology accepted. And, I’m sorry for not tending to you more.”

“It’s fine, you have a lot going on.”

“No, it’s not fine. I’ve prioritized everybody else over you. Of course you felt like you did. I should be a more attentive partner.”

“Alright, I accept your apology. But don’t start putting me way above you. You’re important too.”

“Thank you.”

They sat together in a somewhat comfortable silence but more needed to be said.

So Peridot started once again.

“Would it be okay if I explain why I take care of Lapis like I do?”

“Yeah, go for it. I’ll try not to flip out again.”

“Okay, it’s mostly because I’m thankful that she’s let me live with her. But another reason is that I feel guilty.”

“About what?” Amethyst looked Peridot in the eyes. “Not your fault she’s like that.”

“It kind of is though, because she’s paying more than half of the rent she can’t afford the help she needs. So I’m trying to help her.”

“I had no idea. But Peri, was she in therapy before you moved in?”

“Well, no. But it might not have ever crossed her mind before.”

“Even so, I doubt she’d go, even if she could.”

Peridot’s shoulders slumped and her expression was heavy. “You might be right. I offered to increase how much of the rent I pay and she refused.”

“Yeah, exactly. So it’s not really your fault.”

They got silent again.

This time it was Amethyst who broke the silence. “But you know, even with whatever’s wrong with Lapis, she needs to own up to what she does to people.”

“I know. I’ve never let her know how our therapy sessions affect me. But she does know what she did to Jasper was wrong.”

“She still hasn’t apologized for it,” Amethyst sounded mad, but not at Peridot.

“Lapis seldom says ‘I’m sorry’ she instead says that what she did was wrong and then buries herself in her art.”

“But Jasper needs that apology. She’s a mess Per.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll try my best to get Lapis to apologize to Jasper.”

“And you also need to come clean to her. What she does ain’t good for you.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m not sure how to tell her.”

“Just be honest; like you are right now,” Amethyst punched her hand. “And if she has a problem with it I’ll take care of her.”

Peridot laughed. “Please don’t beat up my roommate.”

“Nah, I won’t. But seriously though, if she makes a huge deal out of it come live with me.”

There was some hesitation before Peridot replied. “I would definitely consider it.”

Amethyst looked hurt.

“No, Amethyst,” Peridot felt bad. “It’s not you, it’s one-hundred percent me. I’m terrified of moving too fast.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” Amethyst leaned on Peridot. “I’m cool with taking it slow.”

“Thank you.”

This silence was actually very comfortable.

It was nice and sorely missed.

But there was a party to join.

They held hands as they walked and when Steven saw them his whole face lit up.

“You made up,” he ran up and hugged them both. “This is the best birthday present ever!”

“Well, I guess I’ll give my present to Max then, no point in trying to top the best ever,” Peridot teased.

“You can compete with the best present ever,” immediately came Steven’s starry-eyed response.

Peridot laughed as she ruffled his hair.

“What a cute kid,” went through her mind.

“Steven,” Greg called him, he was holding a cape and a crown. “Go get ready in the barn, we’ll call you out when we’re ready.”

Steven jauntily ran off and took the things from Greg then went into the barn.

“Aw, cute,” Peridot said with a smile.

“Yep, it’s a Universe family tradition,” Amethyst looked a little motherly. “It’s kinda goofy.”

Peridot and Amethyst joined the rest of the party-goers. With the fog of ‘shit, I need to fix things’ gone Peridot was able to take them in.

First was Pearl, unsurprisingly, if Peridot didn’t know better she’d swear Steven was Pearl’s own flesh-and-blood.

Then there was Garnet holding a cake shaped like a cookie cat low enough for two women even shorter than Peridot to reach. She recognized them from Garnet’s sleeve tattoo… The one with the greying afro holding a red candle shaped like the number one was Ruby if Peridot remembered correctly. Which made the one with the long silver hair and eyepatch holding a blue four-shaped candle Sapphire.

Wait…

Then it hit Peridot.

“Steven’s fourteen?!”

“I know!” At least Connie was surprised too.

“Oh stars, I’ve been treating him like he’s ten.”

Greg noticed Peridot’s guilty expression. “Don’t worry about it, Steven really likes you. He likes hugs, and head pats, and toys.”

Pearl nodded in agreement. “Mm-hmm, he’s always so happy to see you so you haven’t done anything wrong.”

That helped a little bit.

But what helped even more was realizing that she could give him more complex model kits and perhaps even build some with him.

“Oh no, where are my manners?” Peridot thought.

She walked up to Ruby and Sapphire. “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Peridot.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Ruby shook Peridot’s hand. “I’m Ruby.”

“Sapphire,” she shook Peridot’s hand. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah, you sound like a nice girl,” Ruby’s tone turned serious as she looked Peridot in the eye. “But if you ever break my little Amethyst’s heart again,  **I’ll break you.”**

“Mum!” Garnet scolded her.

Ruby laughed. “Kidding, I’m kidding. I wouldn’t actually do that.”

Peridot tried to laugh but just couldn’t.

“Aw, calm down, that’s just something us parents say to their daughter’s partner.”

“Ruby!” Even at the age of thirty, Amethyst was dying of embarrassment. 

“What? It’s the cute quiet ones you have to look out for,” Ruby smiled fondly. “You’ve seen Sapphire lose her temper.”

“Ruby,” Sapphire playfully scolded her wife. “You’re going to scare Peridot off.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll back off,” Ruby clapped Peridot on the shoulder before walking off to finish helping with the decorations.

“Did Ruby and Sapphire adopt you?” Peridot asked Amethyst.

“Yeah, probably shoulda mentioned that,” Amethyst’s cheeks were still a bit warm. “They’re real nice. Just a bit embarrassing sometimes.”

Peridot giggled. “Yeah, my dad’s a bit embarrassing too sometimes. When he helped me move here he picked me up and hugged me right in-front of everyone at the airport. Honestly, I think the only thing that stopped him from doing the same thing the last time he saw me was my still-fresh burns.”

“Heh, really? So is your dad a big guy?”

“Nope, average,” Peridot replied. “He just gets a little caught up in the moment sometimes.”

“Ruby’s like that too.”

“And so are you,” Peridot held Amethyst’s hand. “You’re always picking people up to hug them.”

They noticed everybody gathering in-front of the barn and continued to talk as they joined them.

“Does it bug you when I do that to ya?” Amethyst asked.

“Not at all,” Peridot looked bashful as she continued. “I like it. It reminds me of my dad.”

Amethyst chuckled. “You’re such a daddy’s girl.” She kissed Peridot on the temple.

Peridot’s expression was slightly melancholy.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about; my reason for being a,” Peridot made a face, “‘daddy’s girl,’” but it was only temporary, “is because he was my rock. He’s always made me feel safe.”

That statement would normally be very sweet but Amethyst knew about Peridot’s childhood. So it was a bit… depressing.

“Aw, don’t look like that,” Peridot squeezed Amethyst’s hand. “It’s a good thing.”

Pearl excitedly led everybody into surprising Steven.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

The barn doors opened with Steven standing in the doorway.

“Happy birthday!”

Everybody said with a smile.

Steven jauntily ran out of the barn starry-eyed. “Oh my gosh! Thanks guys!” He noticed the cake. “Is that Cookie Cat?!”

“It is,” Pearl radiated motherly pride. “I picked the design and Sapphire and I baked it. We know how much you like Cookie Cat.”

“I love Cookie Cat,” Steven exclaimed then hugged Pearl and Sapphire.

“C’mere kid,” Ruby picked Steven up. “I helped so you’d better hug me too.”

Steven chuckled as Ruby squeezed him in a hug and Sapphire could faintly be heard saying, “you helped by licking the bowl.”

“It’s an important job, Sapphy.”

“Indeed it is, you helped me get a head start on washing dishes.”

They kissed after Ruby put Steven down.

The rest of the party-goers got hugs and then the cake was eaten, then it was time for presents.

Most of them were toys and games, Connie gave Steven a nice pink button-up shirt, he loved the colour and wore it for the rest of the party.

Then he got to Peridot’s present.

She was worried that it was too “kiddie” but now it was too late to get or make a new one.

He opened it and his face lit up.

“Cookie Cat!”

Steven held up a meticulously stitched Cookie Cat plush for everybody to see. It even had a space helmet. In fact, every detail was just right.

“Thank you Peri!” Steven almost knocked her over when he hugged her.

“Where did you get that?” Greg asked. “I’ve looked everywhere for one of those.”

“I made it,” Peridot redirected her attention back to Steven. “You’re welcome. And you know what, you can take the helmet off so you can sleep with him if you want.”

In his excitement Steven danced from foot-to-foot.

As Steven went off to play with Connie, Peridot walked up to Pearl.

“I can give you the pattern so if anything happens to it you can make another,” Peridot shrugged. “Or you can just tell me and I will.”

“Thank you Peridot,” Pearl smiled at her. “That was a wonderful gift.”

“He makes it very obvious that Cookie Cat is his favourite,” Peridot said with a giggle.

“When they stopped making the ice cream we bought everything in the store for him.”

Peridot laughed. “Dad did something like that once. Kinder was making limited edition eggs for a franchise I love. Before I knew it I had six boxes.”

“Sometimes parents can go a bit overboard,” Pearl said with a smile.

“It’s funny, you never mentioned Steven when we were in school together. It really surprised me.”

“Yeah, well,” Pearl blushed. “I… well… for one thing, I was already obviously, you know,” Pearl raised an eyebrow, “old. And raising an adolescent just made it clearer. I was already having trouble fitting in with my peers.” Pearl sighed. “The other reason is a bit shameful. As you know, Rose died during childbirth and when you’ve dated someone for eleven years you’re quite attached to them. Well, ideally anyway.”

“I can’t believe you dated Rose for that long.”

“We met in service. I was a soldier and she was a nurse,” Pearl looked nostalgic. “We did a lot of talking and she was the only one in the army who knew about me being trans. Remember, it was a different time. She was accepting of me.” Pearl laughed fondly. “Eventually we decided to ditch the army and started protesting together.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not too familiar with the military. Isn’t that really  _really_ bad?”

“You’re absolutely correct. Fortunately Rose had some friends in low places that helped make our old selves disappear.” Pearl elbowed Peridot. “Saved me the hassle of legally changing my gender.”

“Heh, I imagine.”

“Anyway,” Pearl looked a bit sad no… that wasn’t the word. Remorseful. “Another reason I never talked about Steven was because at the time I was still reeling over Rose’s passing. I was actually mad at Steven, as if it was his fault Rose wasn’t alive. It was a dark time for me and I feel awful about that.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’ve gotten past that,” Peridot patted Pearl’s back. “You treat him better than a lot of mothers treat their children.”

“That’s kind of a low bar.”

“Okay fine, a higher bar. You treat him as well as my dad treats me.”

Pearl smiled, it was well-known how highly Peridot thinks of her dad. “Thank you Peridot.” She smirked. “Are you sure you’re the same Peridot I punched?”

They shared a laugh.

 

* * *

 

Several hours later the party was winding down. Steven and Connie were planning their night together in the barn.

“Hey Peridot,” Greg called. “If you want me to give you a ride you should get ready.”

“No thank you,” Peridot called back. “Amethyst offered a ride.”

Amethyst waved at Greg.

“Okay, nice seeing you,” Greg waved at the pair then got into his van and drove off.

“The kids are in the barn,” Amethyst kissed Peridot’s neck, “wanna have a make-up make-out sesh?”

Peridot laughed. “Alright, just a quick one. Pearl and Garnet are still hanging around and so are Garnet’s parents. Your parents? What do you consider Ruby and Sapphire?”

“I’m not sure,” Amethyst replied as she nuzzled Peridot. “They’re Garnet’s parents before mine and they didn’t raise me. So they’re just Ruby and Sapphire to me.”

“Ah, I see,” Peridot lifted Amethyst’s chin and planted a kiss on her lips.

Amethyst returned the kiss realizing just how much she missed those lips, weird bump and all.

Peridot sorely missed Amethyst’s lips too. Plump and perfect, the slit on the top lip just added to the perfection. Small flaws bring out the best in things, in her opinion.

They ended up not going too far, just incase somebody happened by them.

Which was fine by Peridot, she loves to cuddle, and doing so under the stars was a great experience you didn’t get every day.

“Hey Peri,” Peridot made a noise of acknowledgment. “I really am glad we made up.”

“Same here. But boy, relationships are hard, I never felt like that before.”

“…Do you regret getting together with me?”

“No, if I did then I wouldn’t have made up with you,” Peridot’s reply was blunt. “Things get hard sometimes, but if life was always easy then it’d be pretty boring.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“Amethyst?”

“Yeah Peri?”

“I love you,” Peridot looked Amethyst in the eyes. “And that’s why I don’t regret dating you.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Love ya too Peri.”

Things were better but something in the back of Peridot’s mind told her that there was still more to talk about.

But that would be left for another day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight is over. Amethyst and Peridot have talked. But there is still more talking that needs to happen before everything is settled again.
> 
> Amethyst knew of three of the major talks but Peridot had a fourth in mind too.
> 
> Unfortunately for Amethyst, it’s a very touchy subject

“Okay,” Amethyst set down her mug of tea; her and Peridot had met up at the beach house to make a plan. “I think you should talk to Jasper and I should talk to Lapis.”

“Really, why?” Peridot almost choked on her tea. “Jasper doesn’t respect me and you’re not particularly fond of Lapis.”

“Jasper respects you, she just stopped remembering names. And anyway, my not being best friends with Lapis means that I can be tough on her like she needs.”

Peridot sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Knowing me I’d end up coddling her.” She groaned. “I’m such an enabler.”

 “You kind of are,” Amethyst chuckled but stopped when she saw Peridot’s face. “Aw, that’s just a thing you need to work on. You care so you’re lenient.”

“I just need to be more strict, I know.”

“So you up for this plan?”

“No.”

“Peeeerrrriiii…”

“Your sister scares me a bit.”

“We made up so she won’t pummel you if you piss her off.”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Amethyst’s statement definitely did  **not** help.

“Yeah I’m kidding, the worst she’s ever done is hold a terrible ex of mine outside of a window on the second floor. Scared the shit outta him; never seen ‘im since.”

This helped even less.

“Dude, you’ll be fine. We just had a fight,” Amethyst assured Peridot.

“There’s also the fact that I got between her and Lapis.”

“That actually made her respect you more. It takes guts to stand up to someone three-times your size.”

“Oh really?” Now that statement  _did_  help.

“Jasper’s just gruff so it’s hard to tell if she likes you or not. Trust me, she likes you.”

“That’s good to know, so I guess talking to her won’t be too bad.”

They spent some more time discussing their battle plan before snuggling on the couch.

 

* * *

 

“Oh stars,” went through Peridot’s mind on loop as she rode the elevator to the apartment floor Jasper lived on.

“Oh stars,” continued going through her mind as she walked down the hallway.

“OH STARS,” her mind screamed as she knocked on the door.

**“OH STARS!”**  her mind screeched when she saw Jasper.

“Peacock,” Jasper regarded Peridot.

“Hello Jasper,” Peridot waved awkwardly.

“Come in,” Jasper led Peridot into the living room not bothering with a tour.

“Thank you for seeing me,” Peridot decided to be polite. She wanted to stay on Jasper’s good side as much as possible.

“Whatever,” Jasper sat down and Peridot followed suit. “What do you want?”

“Well… uh…” the way Jasper’s arms were crossed was intimidating, especially considering they were on the fifth floor. Peridot took a breath. “I’m here to talk about Lapis.”

Jasper’s expression slightly changed. “What about her?”

Peridot had no idea what to make of this change. “Hm. Perhaps we should start with your relationship with her.”

A grunt.

Not exactly a good jumping-off point…

“I only heard a little bit about it, mostly what Lapis had to say. What do you have to say about it?”

“You heard what I had to say already Peacock.” 

And Peridot thought Garnet wasn’t much of a conversationalist…

“Okay then, moving on. I know this is presumptuous, but I feel that it’s good that you two have broken up.”

Jasper gritted her teeth. “That so?”

“Yes, you two were bad for each other. What she did to you wasn’t right.”

“Amethyst keeps saying that too.”

“It’s because it’s true.”

“I did my fair share of bad things too. I yelled at her, and when she tried to leave I grabbed her.”

“Like I said, you were bad for  **each other.**  Lapis didn’t let you leave either and took out her anger and frustration on you.”

“So? You get what you deserve.”

“So why did you deserve such treatment then?”

“I’ve killed people,” Jasper jabbed her thumb at herself.

“In a war,” Peridot calmly stated. “That is what was asked of you. To America you’re a hero.”

“Sure doesn’t feel like it,” Jasper grumbled.

“Yes, veterans could be treated better,” Peridot nodded. “But my point was that your participation in a war isn’t a good reason to be treated the way Lapis treated you. So I ask again, why do you deserve to be treated like that?”

Jasper didn’t have a solid answer and it showed.

“If what you said is true then I could easily put my finger on why I deserved to have my home burn down with me in it. So what did you do wrong?”

“Peacock, nobody deserves their house to burn down.”

“And nobody deserves to be treated like Lapis treated you,” Peridot countered.

Jasper struggled with her words. So she went a different route. “If you think that then why did you defend Lapis?”

“Because you called her a monster. Lapis knows what she did was wrong. And frankly, I mostly just want her to keep recovering so that one day I can in good conscious move out.”

“You’re her caregiver?”

“Just a little bit. I’m her friend first.”

Jasper sighed. “And as her friend-slash-caregiver you think it’s best we stop seeing each other.”

“Not necessarily. You should stop dating but you two need to talk,” Peridot added. “Calmly. No yelling, just talking. There’s only so much a third party can do.”

“Alright,” Jasper reluctantly agreed. “I’ll try talking to her.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

“Geeze Peacock, you’re pretty gutsy.”

Peridot saw an opportunity. “So do you think you can start calling me by my name then?”

“I told ya Peacock, only after you’ve dated Amethyst for a year. You still have four months.”

Peridot frowned.

“You’re lucky I didn’t reset the timer after that fight you two had.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” the look of determination showed on Peridot’s face. “A year is hardly anything compared to sixty.”

Jasper laughed heartily. “I like ya, kid. I’m rooting for you.”

“I appreciate that.”

Unfortunately they had nothing else to really talk about so after an awkward silence Jasper showed Peridot out the door.

But not before Peridot threw in a quick suggestion that Jasper should consider going to a veteran’s support group.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst sat on a chair next to Lapis. Max begged to be let up so she put him on her lap.

When they were making their plan Peridot did ask Amethyst to at least not be too harsh.

“We need to talk about my sister,” Amethyst’s voice was stern. “What you did to her was fucked up.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Lapis snapped. “Yeah, I get it. I’m fucked up. I’m a bad person and I hurt everybody I get close to.”

“So you actually going to do something about it?”

“There’s nothing I can do. I’ve tried being like Peridot and other decent human beings but that didn’t work.”

“Don’t act like other people. Actually own up to what you did and apologize.”

Lapis made a dismissive noise. “What good’ll that do? The people I actually care about know that what I did was wrong.”

“You keep making it about you!” Amethyst just couldn’t hold in her frustration.

Screw being nice!

“You always say, ‘I was wrong,’ ‘I’m horrible,’ ‘I had a tough life,’ and so on. An apology shouldn’t make the person you’re apologizing to feel bad for you!”

Lapis didn’t have a retort so she moodily crossed her arms.

“Look,” Amethyst was marginally calmer after her outburst. “You’ve been hurt; that sucks. I’ve been hurt too. And yeah, I’ve hurt people back. But I eventually started owning up to it. Sometimes it takes a bit, I’m still getting better. But the point is that I’m improving.”

“Peridot told me that improving should be my goal. But I try and always fail.”

“Have you seen a psychiatrist?” Amethyst asked, a subject Peridot asked her to touch on.

Lapis’ eyes narrowed. “I’m not that pathetic.”

“Is Peri pathetic for seeing hers?”

“No,” Lapis was taken aback.

“So what’s different?”

“Her house burned down! She almost died! That’s a good reason to see one.”

“From what I hear you have a good reason too.”

“I’m too strong to need a psychiatrist for my issues.”

“Is Peri weak for needing her cane?” Amethyst countered.

“What? No!”

“How about her anxiety medication,” Amethyst ruffled Max’s fur, “and this little guy?”

“Of course not!”

“So then why would you be weak and pathetic for needing a therapist?”

“Because taking pills that make you happy is pathetic,” fatigue showed on Lapis’ features. “I shouldn’t force myself to be happy. I need to do it naturally.”

“Anti-depressants just give you the ability to be happy; it’s not that different from Peri’s prosthetic giving her the ability to walk.”

“It’s very different,” Lapis’ expression was unconvincing. “People don’t judge somebody for needing a prosthetic limb.”

“So you’re scared of being judged?”

Lapis looked away.

“I get that,” Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck. “Bein’ judged sucks. There are days where I cover up my chest ‘cause I know people look at me and think ‘well of course she had a heart attack, look how fat she is.’ But like, you can’t always let judgy people affect you.”

“Peridot says that too.”

“Well she’s right.”

“Fine, I’ll consider therapy.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“My sister.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I’ll apologize.”

“Properly. Don’t make her feel bad for you. No ‘woe is me’ shit,” Amethyst stood firm. Her goal was to make sure her sister got the apology she needed. Helping Lapis was more a favour to Peridot than anything.

“Fine. I’ll try.”

“No, not try. Succeed.”

“Jasper yelled and got grabby too you know,” predictably, Lapis got defensive.

“I know, but instead of leaving you took it too far,” Amethyst refused to play her games.

“She could’ve left too.”

“It’s not that easy for her. You’re not the only one who’s had a shitty life.”

Lapis sank in her seat in a huff. “I’m not stupid.”

“Never said you were. Just that you need to apologize.”

“You’re stubborn,” Lapis smirked. “No wonder you and Peridot get along.”

“So you gonna give a proper apology?”

“Alright,” Lapis’ eyebrow raised. “But I want one too. We were bad for each other at first. I just stayed bad for longer.”

This didn’t sit right with Amethyst. She hoped her gut was wrong.

“If Jasper comes back from your apology even more fucked up than before I’m punching you. Got it?”

Lapis shrugged. “Yeah, alright.”

The weird feeling was still there.

 

* * *

 

Peridot removed the lower half of her left pant leg and then her foot before settling in on the couch. The plan was a movie marathon while Lapis was off doing whatever.

But there was also some business to attend to.

“Oh yeah,” Amethyst set down the popcorn then plopped onto the couch. “I never did make it up to you that the rave was a disaster.”

“Huh?” Peridot had forgotten all about their arrangement. “Not now, there’s something we need to talk about first.”

“Alright, so what do you wanna talk about?” Amethyst was casual as ever.

“You.”

Amethyst stiffened “Wh… what’s there to talk about? We already did that at the birthday party.”

“We only scratched the surface,” Peridot said as she crossed her legs to face Amethyst. “As I was trying to put my finger on what I did to upset you I went over our time together and realized something. You never talk about yourself.”

Amethyst’s eyes briefly widened then she made a dismissive noise. “I talk about myself. I told you about my parents and about being homeless. And even some of my past relationships.”

“True, you have talked about a few things regarding yourself but there’s more to it than that,” Peridot took a breath to prepare herself for touching on a delicate subject. “You’ve called yourself awful a few times. I want to know why you think that about yourself.”

“No reason, just got hurt a lot is all,” the last thing Amethyst wanted to do was talk about it. “So how ‘bout you roll up that pant leg so I can kiss that knee of yours?”

Peridot didn’t take the tantalizing bait. “Amethyst, I’m serious. Talking about it will be good for you.”

Amethyst clenched her jaw. “It ain’t easy to talk about. I’m past that stuff.”

“If that’s true then it should be easier to talk about.”

With a heavy sigh Amethyst gave in. “Fine. God, where to start? School sucked, I was picked on, fat, short, squinty, they’d call me mutt.”

“Mutt?”

“Dude, I’m a little of everything. Not even I know what all I am.”

“Alright then, continue.”

A very unenthusiastic groan. “Then homelessness, the homeless are treated like literal garbage, that didn’t help. And you know about my shitty partners.” Amethyst rubbed her eye. “Pearl didn’t help. She looked down on me ‘cause of the way I was conceived. As if it was my fault!”

Peridot noticed the tears and gently wiped them away. “That’s awful of her. I can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, I blew up on her. We got in a huge fight. A lotta yelling, some punching. It turned into a brawl.” Her regrets showed. “Steven caught us. He put a stop to it. I hate how he saw us fighting like that. Ain’t good for kids.”

“What happened after that?”

“Broke down and cried. Pearl didn’t know what to do and Steven got us to talk. As you know, Pearl’s not great at dealing with people and screwed up at first by calling me the byproduct of a mistake, but she corrected herself and said some nice things. But shit sticks with ya, y’know.”

“I know,” Peridot placed her hand on top of Amethyst’s.

Amethyst chuckled bitterly. “‘S why I keep my bad eye covered. I got picked on for it when I was little. The squint’s bad enough but it’s lazy too.”

Peridot’s hand hovered near Amethyst’s bangs.

“May I?”

With some hesitation Amethyst gave Peridot permission.

A soft smile graced Peridot’s lips as she brushed the hair away. “Have I ever told you that your eyes are the most stunning shade of blue?” She kissed underneath Amethyst’s left eye.

“It’s just the colour you like, isn’t it?”

“No, I also like how they sparkle when you laugh. And by the way, your ‘bad eye’ isn’t bad looking at all.”

“You don’t have to like everything about me.”

“Oh trust me, I don’t.”

“So what don’t you like about me?”

A loaded question if Peridot’s ever heard one.

“The way you think so poorly of yourself,” Peridot replied.

“That’s cheating,” but Amethyst couldn’t help smiling. “Come on, give me a real answer.”

“Only if you give me one first,” Peridot crossed her arms and looked firmly at Amethyst.

Amethyst grumbled.

“You did this to yourself,” Peridot said with a raised eyebrow.

“Fine,” Amethyst thought and thought and all she could come up with were answers like the one she just chastised Peridot for. “God dammit. Okay, this is hard. I can’t think of anything so I’ll drop it.”

“It’s all small things so it’s hard to come up with something on the spot, and you might not even realize what exactly it is unless you’re in the moment.”

“Alright, I get it. Man, you sure you’re new at this girlfriend thing?”

“Oh I’m very sure,” Peridot blushed. “I just read and watch a lot of highly regarded romance.”

“That so?” Amethyst knew about the reading, especially fanfiction, it was the watching thing that surprised her. “You up for a rom-com night then?”

Peridot made a face. “I have yet to see a good one.”

“Me neither, I just like ‘em because they’re cheesy.”

“I should have known,” Peridot said with a giggle. “Okay, but I don’t have any so it’ll have to be another night.”

Amethyst looked at Peridot’s movie shelf. “So where do you stash your mushy stuff anyway? We’ve done this a million times but I’ve never seen any romance movies.”

“I keep them in the back of my closet,” Peridot started the first movie of the day.

“Of course,” Amethyst smacked her forehead. “Ain’t nobody goin’ in there. That thing makes  _my_  room look tidy.”

“It’s not that bad,” Peridot muted the TV to avoid being deafened by the loud advertisements. “I have a system.”

“No, I have a system;  _you_  have an explosion of hoodies and belts,” Amethyst spoke with a joking tone.

And Peridot picked up on it. “Is that right? So what part of your system did that pizza box belong to?”

“Trade secret.”

This got a giggle out of Peridot.

It took a bit for them to actually start the movie because they were so busy having their first truly light-hearted conversation in a while.

 

* * *

 

Lapis came home just as Amethyst was leaving.

“Hey Lapis,” Amethyst said.

“Hey,” Lapis greeted her back. “Just leaving?”

“Yeah, got work tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Lapis looked away briefly. “I did some thinking at the pool. I decided you’re right about therapy.”

Peridot’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s great to hear!”

“Yeah,” Amethyst agreed.

Lapis blushed. “Whatever, it’s not a big deal.”

“I disagree; it is a huge step towards recovery,” Peridot stated, feeling very proud of her roommate.

“Okay, I get,” Lapis’ blush worsened. “I haven’t found one yet so don’t get too excited.”

Peridot decided to drop it for the time being. If she was too pushy then Lapis might change her mind.

One hug between partners later Amethyst was out the door. And Peridot was on the couch next to Lapis who was playing with Max, surprisingly. She was even smiling a little.

“You seem to be feeling better,” Peridot said with a smile of her own.

“Yep, Amethyst pissed me off at first, but I did some thinking and reflecting. It actually felt kind of good.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Self-reflection can be difficult. I know from experience.”

“So do I get a gold star?” Lapis joked.

“Sorry, no gold star,” Peridot smiled wryly. “Buuuuut, I can make kulfi tonight.”

“Really?” Lapis’ excitement showed. “It’s been ages!”

The pure energy of the response made Peridot burst out laughing. “Stars, no snarkiness. Has it really been that long?”

“It’s been months, Peridot,” Lapis dramatically moaned. “I’ve been craving it.”

“You should’ve asked.”

“Too much going on with us lately.”

“That’s true,” Peridot said with a sigh. “But that’s over now. So it’s time to celebrate!”

And celebrate they did.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years.
> 
> Four years since the last visit.
> 
> Four years since the fire.
> 
> Four years since college.
> 
> A lot happened in four years.
> 
> It’s about time Angel got to really catch up.

Peridot practically skipped her way through the airport.

An impressive feat for one without two feet.

Her dad finally got enough time off work to pay a visit. The last visit was right after the fire so Peridot wasn’t in a good place.

But now she was!

She eagerly looked for her dad and when she finally saw him her whole face lit up as she waved at an average height Asian man wearing a large sweater-vest and glasses with short receding black hair. He grinned large and lopsidedly and waved back.

Peridot and Angel briskly walked up to each other and hugged very tightly.

“I’m so  _so_  glad to see you,” Angel didn’t want to let go; the last time they went this long without seeing each other Peridot nearly died.

“It’s really great to see you too,” Peridot didn’t want to let go either.

But they had to eventually, they were in the way.

“Stars,” Angel took Peridot in. “You look so good. And I see you’re still rocking the mohawk.”

Peridot giggled. “Yep, I stopped for a little bit in college but I actually ended up missing it.”

“And you got a new piercing, that’s cool.”

“Thanks. So, we should pick up your stuff then load up the car.”

“Alright,” Angel firmly patted Peridot’s upper right arm.

She flinched slightly. “Ouch.”

As if a switch got flipped Angel went into ‘protective dad mode.’ “What happened?”

This actually took Peridot by surprise. “Nothing. I just recently got a tattoo so I’m a bit tender there.”

Angel’s expression immediately lightened. “A tattoo, huh? What is it of?”

“Um, well…” Peridot lightly blushed, “some UFOs. The one piloted by Mars People in Metal Slug, a generic retro UFO, and Cosmos, the Transformer in vehicle mode.”

Angel chuckled warmly. “I should have known. You’re always loved space and UFOs.”

They talked some more while picking up Angel’s luggage. Catching up, and enjoying there not being a crisis going on and their conversation continued as Peridot drove Angel to her home.

Feeling some staring Peridot glanced at Angel. “What?”

“Oh, sorry, I can’t stop looking at you,” Angel said. “I just can’t get over how well you look. You’ve healed so nicely and I like how you’re doing your hair now.”

“You’re just saying that because I was bald the last time you saw me,” Peridot had intended that to be humourous, but her red cheeks betrayed her.

“No,” Angel said with a chuckle. “I just think it looks nice, it suits you.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Angel spoke up again.

“I’m excited to meet Amethyst and Lapis.”

“And I’m excited for you to finally meet them,” Peridot grinned brightly. “Lapis has been doing very well lately so now’s a great time. And Amethyst has been so wonderful. Well, the only time she hasn’t been was after our fight.”

“Has it actually only been the one?” Angel was skeptical.

“Well, we have tiffles here and there, but every couple does; especially after dating for as long as we have.” 

“But it’s mostly just small stuff, right?” Once again, Angel got protective.

“Yeah, just small stuff,” Peridot looked her dad in the eyes. “Don’t worry so much. I know what to look out for.”

“It’s not that simple, Peridot.”

“I know. I have a good network of support too so if, and this is a big  _if_ , Amethyst does end up being like  _that_  I should be able to get out of it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Angel sighed. “Ever since Jaune I worry constantly. I know I should trust your judgement.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s understandable. And I’m sure that after you meet Amethyst you’ll stop worrying.”

Angel thought, “Jaune didn’t set off any warning bells with me.” He instead said, “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll put my mind to rest.”

Another silence.

“Is Lapis still dumping all of her problems on you?” Angel spoke firmly. “You said she’s doing well but I still worry.”

“Nah, seeing a psychiatrist helped cut down on that. And I’m being more firm and not dropping everything to be there for her.” Peridot laughed. “It’s actually kind of hard for me sometimes. But it’s better for the both of us.”

Angel nodded approvingly.

He was proud of his daughter for managing to build healthier relationships.

Maybe one day he could too…

 

* * *

 

Peridot pulled into the driveway and smiled when she saw Max looking out the window. She made sure to point him out to her dad.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Peridot cooed.

“Yes, he is,” Angel said, amused.

The door opened and Lapis came out. Angel took a look at her. Her blue hair, myriad of piercings (the most recent being snake bite piercings), and her water witch half-sleeve tattoo.

As okay as he is with Peridot’s body mods Angel can’t help feeling a bit iffy about people with a ton of piercings.

He offered his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Angel.”

“Lapis,” she shook his hand. “But you already knew that.” She noticed Peridot pulling luggage out of the trunk. “Peridot! Wait a sec so I can help you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Peridot called from the car.

Lapis quickly walked up to Peridot with Angel following.

“Seriously, you know you’re supposed to ask for help,” Lapis scolded Peridot.

“Not all the time,” Peridot’s annoyance was clear. “We also need to work on our codependency issues.”

“Codependency issues…” Lapis rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s a problem. But so’s your being a control freak.”

Angel unloaded some of his luggage as Lapis and Peridot argued.

“Oh dad,” Peridot turned her attention away from Lapis. “Sorry, we’re trying to talk more and I got wrapped up in it.”

It didn’t quite sound like a conversation to Angel but Peridot and Lapis seem fine so he left it alone.

“It’ll be easier if the three of us brought my luggage in,” Angel said; he saw Peridot about to protest. “Guests can help out too dear.”

Lapis snickered. “Dear?” Peridot looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just funny. You look like a punk and your dad still calls you ‘dear.’”

“Ha,” Peridot barked a laugh. “Look who’s talking.”

They continued their usual light-hearted back-and-forth as they carried Angel’s luggage into the house.

After he got settled in Peridot office-slash-guest room Angel joined Lapis and Peridot in the living room.

Max ran up to him wagging his tail like crazy.

“Stars, what an excited pup,” Angel had a huge goofy grin on his face as he tried to pet the wiggly little furball. “Yes, hello. I know, I’m new.”

The parent and child both giggled. Lapis looked between the two a bit puzzled by the lack of a resemblance.

After the excitement was over Peridot left to make tea. Angel turned to Lapis.

“Thank you for giving Peridot a home.”

“Whatever, I needed a roommate,” Lapis brushed it off.

But Angel didn’t buy it. “Even so, I am grateful.”

“She’s a good person,” in a rare moment of sincerity Lapis added, “I appreciate her. She’s really helped me out.”

“And I think in some weird way you’ve helped her too.”

“It’s literally the least I could do.”

In that moment they felt a sense of comradery.

Angel didn’t really get how, but he knew their odd bickering was actually a good thing.

 

* * *

 

The next evening Peridot was fixing her hair in the mirror. Her, Angel, and Amethyst were going to have a nice dinner together.

“Want help?” Lapis offered.

“Yes, please.”

“I don’t get why you fuss over your hair when you’re just going out with your dad and Amethyst,” Lapis half-heartedly complained while playing around with Peridot’s hair.

“I just like to look nice when I eat out and have no idea what to do with it,” Peridot replied. “I actually don’t know whether or not to leave my industrial in either.”

“Well,” Lapis started working a comb through Peridot’s locks, “I always leave all my piercings in. But I also don’t give a shit.”

“True,” Peridot gave it some thought. “Yeah, I think I’ll leave it in. Give my outfit a bit of a casual touch.”

“Do you want your bald spot covered or exposed? I’m combing your hair to one side.”

“Exposed.”

“Alright,” Lapis put product into Peridot’s hair then started up the hairdryer. “I’m giving it some height too. Y’know to ‘balance out your long face.’”

Peridot hissed in pain. “Watch the heat.”

“Oops,” Lapis repositioned the dryer. “Forgot about that.”

After a few minutes of working on Peridot’s hair, combing it over, adding volume, curling the bottom forward a bit, and fluffing the back out, Lapis was done.

“This looks really nice,” Peridot inspected her new ‘do. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” Lapis ran her fingers over the large burn on Peridot’s head. “Have I ever told you it’s awesome how you don’t cover this thing up? Most people would.”

“I’ve actually grown to like it,” Peridot fixed a couple out of place hairs. “It’s hard to imagine myself without it.”

“Yeah, even after seeing old photos of you I just can’t imagine you looking any other way.”

Peridot looked in the mirror some more. “I’m debating wearing those star plugs Amethyst got me.”

Angel happened to be walking by. “I know it’d make me happy to see my girlfriend wearing the earrings I got her.” He smiled warmly. “You’re looking very handsome by the way.”

“Thanks,” Peridot played with the untucked part of her light green dress shirt. “You look nice too.”

Angel was just wearing a simple powder-blue dress shirt, dark green tie, and black dress pants. “Thank you.”

“You’re right too, I should wear the jewelry Amethyst got me,” Peridot fixed her black waistcoat and rolled her sleeves up then put her plugs in. “I don’t wear these often enough.”

“They look nice. So, you ready to head out?”

“Yep,” Peridot replied with a smile. She turned to Lapis. “Don’t forget to eat, and don’t forget to feed Max.”

“Okay, I got it,” Lapis said as she walked Peridot to the door. “Don’t worry so much; you leave us alone all the time.”

“I know but-”

It was at this point Lapis pushed Peridot out of the door. “Just have fun. And yes, I will call if anything happens.” She shoved Peridot’s cane into her hands.

“Alright, bye Lapis,” Peridot waved. “And bye Max, love you, bye.”

“Bye mo~m,” Lapis dragged out the ‘mom’ then closed the door.

This made Peridot splutter.

“Honestly,” she huffed.

Angel couldn’t hide his amusement.

Peridot took the wheel and off they went.

 

* * *

 

As they were walking towards the restaurant Peridot spotted the unmistakable sight of Amethyst in her usual nice purple sweater and slacks. She quickly ran up to catch her.

“Hey Peri,” Amethyst said. “You’re looking handsome. Love your hair, and the bowtie’s a really nice touch.”

“Thank you. And you’re gorgeous as always.”

The two hugged then kissed.

Angel had seen this exchange and the tender kiss between Peridot and Amethyst helped put his mind to ease.

He finally caught up with them. “I’m glad to meet you, I’m Angel.”

“Amethyst,” she shook his hand. “So uh, I didn’t expect a Spanish name, that’s really cool.”

“Oh,” It’s been a while since Angel was last asked about his name, he softly laughed. “My mother’s from the Philippines and even back then Tagalog names were considered old fashioned.” His laughter turned hearty as he patted Peridot on the shoulder. “Peridot definitely got her progressiveness from her grandma.”

Peridot giggled. “Dad.”

And now Amethyst better understood what Peridot meant when she called her dad embarrassing.

“You guys ready to head in?” Amethyst asked.

They walked and talked together.

“So Amethyst, how’s work?” Angel asked, a pretty standard subject.

“Same old, same old. Waiting tables doesn’t really change and I haven’t even had any funny customers yet. Tourist season is when those start showing up.” Amethyst didn’t miss a beat. “How ‘bout you?”

“Busy as always,” Angel replied. “My team’s about to make a breakthrough so we’re working around the clock.” His chuckle lacked amusement. “Kind of ironic how unhealthy a bunch of people in a medical field are.”

“So, wha’d’ya do?” Amethyst asked, intrigued.

“Peridot’s never said?” There was mild surprise in Angel’s voice. “I help develop advanced prosthetics.” He blushed. “I’ve always wanted to use my love of technology to help people and Peridot, inspired me.”

 Amethyst couldn’t help glancing at Peridot whose prosthetic foot is as basic as they get.

As if she read Amethyst’s mind, Peridot responded. “My foot’s so simple because it’s cheap, and anyway, dad’s team is prioritizing arms and hands. It’s easier to live without a foot than it is to live without a hand.”

“Yeah,” Angel said with a sigh. “It’ll be a while before I can get something better for my daughter.”

“It’s okay,” Peridot reassured her dad. “I’m fine with what I have. It works. So focus on making better hands for those who need them.”

With a small feeling of guilt, Angel recovered. “You're right. Sorry, for killing the mood.”

“Nah nah, don’t sweat it,” Amethyst smiled at Angel. “You’re doing good work. That was really cool to find out.”

Amethyst leaned on Peridot who giggled. “You know I’m not good at conversing.”

“You’re good at ‘conversing,’ just not great,” Amethyst stuck out her tongue.

As their exchange continued Angel signed in with the host.

It took a while for their waitress to lead them to their table.

“So where are you from, Amethyst?” Angel asked after everybody placed their drink orders.

“Kansas City,” Amethyst replied.

“Huh, moving to tiny little Beach City must’ve been quite the adjustment.”

“Um,” Amethyst looked away for a split second, “yeah. But hah, uh, I was happy to just have a roof over my head.” She cleared her throat. “Bein’ homeless for a couple years does that to ya.” Regret started to bubble up. “But hey, weren’t for that I wouldn’t have met Peri or made most of my friends or have Steven, so you know. It worked out.”

“Oh right, I think Peridot mentioned that. It’s how you met Pearl, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, her and Rose were going back to their hotel after watching a musical and I,” a quick glance down, “bumped into Pearl. She got all huffy. But Rose took one look at me and knew what was going on. She brought me back with them.”

The waitress took their food orders.

“Where was I?” Amethyst rapped her fingers on the table. “Right. Rose was gorgeous and had this air about her that made you wanna follow her.” Amethyst looked at Peridot. “You woulda loved her.”

“From what you’ve told me I’m sure.”

The couple smiled at each other.

“Excuse me,” Angel interrupted the moment. “I need to use the washroom.”

Peridot got up and Angel shuffled past her. After Peridot sat back down Amethyst spoke.

“Bullshit you look nothing like your dad.”

The sudden exclamation startled Peridot. “N…no, I don’t. His features are way rounder than mine, our eye colours are completely different, and he’s not even short.”

“That’s superficial shit, You two look so much alike! For one thing, you sure as hell didn’t get your cuteness from Jaune. Your dad’s adorable!” Peridot looked very puzzled by this statement. “Don’t judge me Per. You know I like dorks.” Amethyst raised her hand. “Anyway, not just that either. You two have the same smile.”

“We… do?”

“You didn’t notice?”

“No! Nobody’s told me that before either,” Peridot looked happy. “I never knew that.”

“Wow,” Amethyst didn’t really know what to say. After some thought she figured it out. “It’s really obvious. How’d nobody point it out before?”

Peridot wiped her eye.

“Hey, you alright?”

“It’s so silly, such a small thing moved me to tears.”

“Nah,” Amethyst held Peridot’s hands, “all your life you had no idea you looked like the parent you love. Just the awful one.”

Angel returned as Peridot was still tearing up and shot Amethyst a look that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Hey Angel, before you sit why don’t we have a private chat?” She had a feeling what that look was about. Her partner, his daughter, who was abused by her mother is in tears after he left.

“You two can’t leave,” Peridot protested. “Supper will get cold.”

“We won’t be long,” Amethyst put a reassuring hand on Peridot’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we’ll be back before you know it,” Angel echoed Amethyst.

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Amethyst spoke softly as her and Angel stood outside the restaurant door. “I get why you’re so worried about Peri ending up with somebody like your ex-wife.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I ain’t good at serious-talk but I’m gonna try.” She made eye-contact with Angel, “I promise ya, I love Peri, I ain’t gonna lay a finger on her, I ain’t gonna hurt her in any way. What Jaune did to her was horrible, terrible, and god,” Amethyst couldn’t maintain her composure, “I wish I punched that cunt when I had the chance.”

Angel’s eyebrows rose then he started to chortle. “You’re right, you’re not good at ‘serious-talk.’ But you know, how inarticulate you were made that speech far more believable. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise.”

He looked Amethyst in the eye. “It’s literally impossible to never hurt someone. I know that and you know that. Your sincerity when you said that came through. So I trust you with my daughter. I believe that you will take good care of her. There’s something between you two that me and Jaune never had.”

His expression turned serious. “And you’re wrong. I’m not worried that Peridot will end up with somebody like Jaune. I’m terrified. I didn’t see any of the warning signs. They’re not always obvious.”

“Out of curiosity, and you don’t gotta answer this if you don’t wanna,” Amethyst looked at her feet. “How did you end up with that piece of shit?”

“Hah,” Angel couldn’t hold in his bitterness. “It wasn’t an arranged marriage by any means, but my father ‘strongly suggested’ that I marry her. He owns a large company and Jaune had hers, even back then. He was hoping that his son marrying her would open some doors.”

“Peri mentioned Jaune moving to Calgary was a business decision.”

“Yeah, marrying me was it,” Angel pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was such a loveless relationship but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to my father.” He cleared his throat. “But Peridot was born because of it and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. My only regret is not divorcing Jaune before the damage was done.”

“There’s no point in regret,” Amethyst’s blunt statement took Angel by surprise. “It already happened and what happened because that happened did too. No telling how things'll turn out if stuff happened differently. It’s why I’ll never dick around with time travel.”

Angel started to chuckle and Amethyst joined him. “Yeah, you’re right. Regret does sound pretty pointless when you put it like that. But I can’t help feeling it.”

“Yeah, I get that. That’s like, how you’re wired. I just try not to sweat it, y’know.”

To fill the dead air Amethyst decided to bring up a new happier subject.

“I told Peri to keep it secret so you probably don’t know this. I wrestle pretty much every Saturday.”

“Really?” Angel’s eyes lit up. “Stars. I watched wrestling all the time as a child.”

“Ah! Seriously?!” Amethyst grinned. “Dude! Me too!”

“I watched some American pro wrestling when I first moved to Canada and that was fun. But if you can you should really check out Japanese pro wrestling. It’s very intense and physical with full contact. They even have medics at ringside.”

“Seriously? Man, but not as much theatrics though, right? See, I like heels and for me, the stories and stunts are the main draw.”

“We have theatrics too, but not as much and the stories are more focused around the strength of man.”

Their animated conversation about wrestling continued until they got back to the table. And sure enough, the food was there.

Peridot was annoyed but that dissipated when she saw how well her dad and girlfriend were getting along.

The rest of supper was very laid-back.

 

* * *

 

The next evening Amethyst came over to Lapis and Peridot’s for supper. As Angel helped with the dishes he heard Amethyst and Peridot talking in the next room.

“Man, I can’t get over that poncit palabok,” Amethyst sounded full and satisfied; making Angel feel proud. “You told me your dad taught you how to cook and now I really believe it.”

Peridot giggled and Angel heard the familiar sound of her resting her prosthetic foot against the side table. “Yeah, he’s a really good cook. I’m nowhere near as good at cooking Filipino food as he is.” A happy sigh. “It’s been so many years since I’ve had it.”

As Peridot and Amethyst talked Peridot’s voice got higher. Angel finished with the dishes and was just about to go into the living room when Lapis stopped him.

“Wait, when Peridot’s voice gets like that, her and Amethyst are about to get super mushy.”

“Uh, okay?”

Apparently Lapis knew Peridot very well, Peridot spoke again, sounding a touch bashful, “Um, heh, I have something to show you.”

“Oh really?” Amethyst seemed interested but also casual. “You just took your foot off and gotta be honest Peri; if I carried you right now you’d be covered in barf. I’m too full.”

Peridot found this statement amusing apparently. “Don’t worry, I can show you on the couch.” There was a shuffle then

“Yyyoooooooo!”

a very enthusiastic response from Amethyst.

“You got a tattoo! It’s so cool,” Amethyst got quiet for a moment then chuckled. “Is that Cosmos?”

“It is! I also have Mars People in my tattoo.”

Some more chuckling. “So much for ‘nerdy yet understated.’”

Then Peridot laughed. “Yeah, I did go all-out with the nerdiness. But it was worth it; I’m really happy with it.”

“You should be, it looks awesome! I’m so jealous!”

“I’m surprised I ended up getting a tattoo before you did.”

Amethyst groaned. “I’m having a hard time finding a place. You’re lucky you’re pale. If I want a colour tattoo then I need to see somebody who has experience working with darker skin. I found a couple people but they didn’t do the style I want.”

“Hm, well, I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

The couch creaked. “You’re right. Just gotta keep looking. You should tell me where you got your ink, maybe they can do mine. The style of yours is so freaking rad.”

“Alright, I have it written down. The address is in my office.”

Once again, Lapis stopped Angel.

“Not yet,” they heard Peridot shuffle and giggle. “That means they’re about to be  _super_  gay and embarrassing.” 

After a few minutes Lapis let Angel into the living room and the girlfriends were cuddled on the couch.

“Oh, dad,” Peridot’s cheeks were a bit red. She glanced at Amethyst.

“Don’t worry, keep cuddling; it’s not bothering me,” Angel waved his hand.

“So Angel,” Amethyst wasn’t shy in the slightest, “what time do you leave tomorrow?”

“Around six,” Angel replied.

“Gross,” Amethyst was obviously not thrilled. “I might not be seeing you off then.”

“Oh, you’re staying the night?” Angel briefly wondered if there was another guest room. Then he remembered that his daughter was an adult. And he had a flash of shyness. 

Of course, they’ll be sharing a bed.

“Is something the matter?” Peridot’s voice snapped him out of it.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just sometimes forget how old you are,” Angel laughed.

A blush made its way across Peridot’s whole face, she buried it in Amethyst’s hair. The luscious mane shook as Amethyst couldn’t hold in her chortles.

The rest of the night went well; Peridot eventually got over her embarrassment, Amethyst and Angel talked more about wrestling, and Lapis drew.

 

* * *

 

Peridot let out a breath as her and her dad stood in the airport.

“Well, this is it.”

She really didn’t want to say her goodbyes. Three days wasn’t a long enough visit.

“Yeah, this is it,” Angel felt the same way.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“It’s too bad you couldn’t meet the rest of my friends,” Peridot said awkwardly, her heart ached.

“Heh,” Angel smiled.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just so glad to hear you say that,” he gently hugged Peridot. “You’ve never had a group of friends before. I’m proud of you.”

Peridot returned the hug a bit tighter. “Thank you.”

“Oh Peridot, we’ll see each other again. I promise.”

“I know, but I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. I’ll try to visit more often.”

“I should try to come out there sometime.”

“And maybe bring Amethyst.”

Peridot broke the hug to look at Angel. “You’d like me to do that?”

“Well, yeah, I like Amethyst and she might want to see where you grew up. Imagine the stories you can tell her.”

Angel knew how Peridot ticked, she’s always loved telling stories.

Sure enough, Peridot’s eyes lit up. “You’re right. I’ve told her a few things but she doesn’t know the places.”

“Exactly.”

The boarding message played. Father and daughter both clicked their tongues.

One last hug and Angel was off.

“Bye, love you,” he waved as he headed towards the gate.

“Bye, love you too,” Peridot waved back, choked up.

But she knew she’d see her dad again.

And it’s not like they don’t talk every week.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is constantly moving forward. Things are always changing, nothing is ever still even when you don’t realize it’s moving. A lot can happen in just a year.

Peridot let out her breath in a puff when she put a heavy box on a brand new carpet.

The room looked and smelled so clean.

“Ooof,” Amethyst put down another heavy box.

As she looked around Peridot felt a bittersweet feeling.

“Heck of a year,” she said.

“Huh?” Amethyst didn’t quite catch that.

“I was just thinking that is was just one year ago that I was living with Lapis and the two of us had our first date.” Peridot’s expression turned apologetic. “Sorry my moving day fell on our one-year anniversary.”

“Don’t worry about it; important thing is that we’re together,” Amethyst kissed Peridot on the cheek. “Not like it’ll take all day to do this anyway.”

“Yeah,” Peridot knelt to give Max a pat. She pointed at an arbitrary part of the hallway. “Go explore, Max. This is our new home.”

But he stayed put.

“Little guy probably needs to adjust first,” Amethyst suggested. “He’s never been here before.”

“That’s true. He’ll explore with me, I’m sure.”

Amethyst stretched out. “Well, we should start unpacking.”

“Then go out and buy a mattress. The bed in here is too soft.”

“You already tested it?”

“I felt it while putting boxes in my bedroom. I can’t sleep on it.”

“Alright, mattress shopping it is. Good thing you’re not stuck with that clown car anymore.”

Peridot laughed. “Yeah, I still can’t believe Pearl surprised me with a car. Fixing it with her was so fun, then she let me keep it!”

“So which room you wanna unpack first?”

 

* * *

 

“How many belts does one demigirl need?” Amethyst playfully groaned as she sprawled out on Peridot’s bed.

“I don’t have  _that_  many. And it’s not like they’re all the same anyway,” Peridot pulled out a few belts. “See? This one has an alien pattern, this one is covered in Pokémon, and this one is houndstooth.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen,” Amethyst really didn’t get it. “That’s just a lot of belts nobody’ll see.”

“A few of my therapists told me that doing small things for myself, even if it’s silly stuff like wearing goofy belts that only I know about can help my mood.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Probably should guessed. So is that houndstooth one because you like Persona 4 so much?”

“You know it.”

“And y’know… having a million belts is probably better than me. I just have the one and it’s being held together with duct tape,” Amethyst changed the subject. “Since you’re buying a new bed, do you mind if I have this one?”

“Not at all.”

“Cool.”

Peridot finished organizing her closet knowing full-well that it wouldn’t last. But it was satisfying nonetheless.

“Do you think Max will be fine while we go shopping?”

Amethyst glanced at the sleeping lump on the bed next to her. “I don’t see why not. Buddy’s passed out. And you leave him alone all the time.”

“Sometimes dogs piddle and get destructive when they’re nervous. He’d be left all alone in a strange new place.”

“We’ll just take a trip to Dreamy Sleep then come back.”

Peridot glanced at Max. “Well, what I can do is leave some of my clothes laying around to hopefully keep him calm.” She gave it some more thought. “Yeah, he’ll be okay if I do that.”

“Ready to go then?”

Before long Peridot changed and left her clothes on the bed and couch.

 

* * *

 

While her and Amethyst carried the new mattress through the hallway, thank the stars Peridot got a room on the first floor, Peridot was confronted by a woman with bright-yellow hair styled up into two points. 

“Do you have a dog?”

“Yeah,” Peridot signaled to Amethyst to put the mattress down. “But he only weighs nine pounds so he’s well within the size limit.”

“That’s well-and-good but if he cries constantly then we’re going to have a problem.”

“Max cried? Was it the whole time I was out? He’s usually very quiet.”

“He cried for the first five minutes.”

“Ah, this was his first time being left alone here. He should be good in the future. I don’t go out much so he should be adjusted next time.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a freelance programmer,” Peridot replied growing more irritated. She knows she doesn’t exactly look ‘respectable’ but frankly, bright-yellow hair doesn’t either.

“Okay the-”

“Jeanne!” Another woman came bounding through the hall. Her pale blue hair curved and floppy. “Are you harassing our new neighbour?”

Jeanne, oh how the sound of that name made Peridot’s skin crawl, replied, “I was just asking them about their dog.”

“I must apologize for Jeanne,” the blue-haired woman said. “She’s a stickler for the rules.” Her tone turned firm when she started to face the other strange lady. “I told you it was just a nervous pet.”

“It’s fine,” Peridot said, the new woman seemed very nice and when Peridot looked at her she felt something she’s never quite felt before. In some ways it was like how she felt about her dad. But different. 

Jeanne… not so much.

“Oh, right,” the new lady turned to Peridot. “Isa.”

“Peridot.”

“Amethyst,” she waved from where she was leaning against the wall.

“Good to meet you,” Isa said then she looked between Peridot and Amethyst. “Are you two living together?”

“No,” Peridot hesitated but saw a wedding ring on Isa’s finger and a matching one on Jeanne’s. “We’re not living together but we have been dating for one year. Exactly, actually. So you and Jaune are married, right?”

“Yes.”

“Got married the day it was made legal.”

“That’s great,” Peridot said, feeling relieved. Some of her neighbours in her old apartment were… less tolerant.

“We should let you go,” Isa said.

“Yeah,” a part of Peridot didn’t want this conversation to end. She started to consider getting to know Isa over tea. “Max is missing me. It was nice to meet you.”

The four all waved and said their goodbyes and Peridot and Amethyst reached Peridot’s room.

She carefully opened the door and Max came bolting out then started to run circles around her.

“Okay, hello, I know, you missed me,” Peridot picked Max up and kissed him. “Let’s check around for accidents, eh Max?”

After the inspection which turned up nothing resulting in lots of scritches and smooches from Peridot, and the mattress was in place, Peridot and Amethyst sat on the couch watching TV.

“So Peri, how ‘bout we do something naughty?” Amethyst wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh, what do you have in mind?” Peridot gave Amethyst a sultry look.

“Well,” Amethyst dragged the next sentence out sexily. “Why don’t we cheat on Kofi and order Domino’s?

“How scandalous,” Peridot leaned into Amethyst. “Pull out your phone and place that order.”

“You want those spicy chicken bites?”

“You know I do-” Peridot couldn’t keep up the routine; she started laughing uncontrollably.

“How could you?” Amethyst said in mock offense. “I try winning your heart with pizza and chicken and you laugh at me?”

“I can’t help it,” Peridot said between giggles. “We’re such big dorks.” She collapsed onto Amethyst clutching her stomach.

Amethyst traced lines next to Peridot’s mouth with her thumb. “Maybe I should cut back on the comedy a bit. You’re starting to get laugh lines.” She rubbed Peridot’s cheek. “Then again, those are the best wrinkles. Means you’re happy.”

“Please don’t stop making me laugh, even when I look like my lola,” Peridot sat partially up and wrapped her arms around Amethyst. “Your sense of humour is one of my favourite things about you.”

“You feeling alright? Like, you’re cuddly but not usually this mushy.”

Peridot nestled into Amethyst’s neck. “I think I’m just feeling a bit lonely. I haven’t lived alone since college.”

“Want me to stay the night?”

“No,” a shake of the head. “Well, yes. But you shouldn’t. It’d be best if I just rip off the bandage. So to speak.”

“Alright, if you change your mind tell me,” Amethyst looked at her phone. “Still up for cheating on Kofi?”

“Always.”

 

* * *

 

“Have I ever told you that I appreciate how you started trying weird shit with your food?” Amethyst stated, amused by Peridot putting her chicken bites onto her pizza.

“I’ll never surpass the master,” Peridot took a bite. “I’m not brave enough to mix strawberries, canned tuna, and hot sauce together.”

“Not my best sandwich in all honesty.”

“They can’t all be winners,” Peridot said with a shrug.

They ate supper while watching Ninja Keith reruns.

Eventually Amethyst spoke up. “So, you still doin’ that Lapis and Jasper thing with me tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Peridot finished off her crust. “We need to make sure it goes well. And if it doesn’t, we need to be there to help them.”

Amethyst grabbed another slice of pizza. “True. And fukkin’ deck Lapis if she makes my sister even worse.”

“She won’t. Lapis has made great progress. Have faith in my roo- _former_  roommate.”

“I know,” Amethyst sighed. “Just worried. Jasper’s been doing better too.” She took a big bite. “Don’t want it to go backwards.”

“I feel the same way when it comes to Lapis.”

“You sure you don’t want me to spend the night?” Amethyst had noticed a subtle sadness in Peridot’s eyes. “Sometimes it’s best to take band-aids off slowly. Y’ever slice your leg open?”

Peridot cringed. “Yeah, ripping off the bandage hurt like a son-of-a-gun.”

“But if you peeled it and wet it then it wouldn’t have.”

After a moment’s thought Peridot gave in. “You’ve convinced me. So I guess you need to go get your stuff then.”

“Nah,” Amethyst polished off her pizza. “I had a feeling you’d want company the first night. My stuff’s in my car.”

“You know me well.”

 

* * *

 

Peridot and Amethyst barely dragged themselves out of bed the next morning. They were both worried that things would go horribly wrong with Lapis and Jasper.

But before they arrived at the meeting place Peridot decided to drop Max off at the beach house. He needed the supervision if they were gonna be gone for the day.

Pearl was the one who opened the door. “Hello Peridot and Amethyst.”

“Hey Pearl,” Peridot greeted her. “Thanks for puppysitting on such short notice.”

“Don’t mention it,” Pearl gave Max a swift pat on the head. “I actually kind of like him now.”

“We can’t dawdle,” Peridot put Max on the floor then pointed into the house. “Go find Steven.”

With that, Max excitedly ran off.

“Bye Max,” Peridot called after him with a giggle.

“Amethyst,” Pearl turned her attention to her. “I need you to pick up a few things.”

“Got it,” Amethyst saluted as she took the shopping list.

“You’ve never watched Max for the whole day before,” Peridot passed a basket full of blankets, toys, and food for Max to Pearl then pulled a piece of paper out of her hoodie pocket “As you know he eats at all three meals, though breakfast isn’t an issue… He gets three-quarters of a scoop of kibble. Max sometimes sleeps under stuff so if you haven’t seen him in a while check under Amethyst’s bed. Let’s see…” Peridot looked over her list to find more urgent stuff.

“Peridot,” Pearl interrupted her thoughts. “He’ll be fine. I’ll read the list, I promise. You two need to get going.”

“Well, okay,” Peridot passed the list of care instructions to Pearl. “Remember,  **keep an eye on Steven,**  I always catch him sneaking snacks to Max.”

“Okay,” Pearl pushed Peridot out of the doorway.

“And watch him when he potties,” Peridot’s fretting continued. “Seagulls like to pick on him.”

“I got it.”

“And don’t forget-”

_“Goodbye,_  Peridot.”

“Yes, goodbye,” Peridot said automatically.

Pearl closed the door on her.

“Well that was a bit rude,” Peridot put her hands on her hips.

“She’s right though, rude or not we gotta go,” Amethyst jabbed her thumb at the car.

 

* * *

 

The couple raced to the back corner of the meeting place so as to be discreet. They weren’t actually  _supposed_  to be there.

Not long afterwards Lapis strolled in, then Jasper. Those two looked pretty okay, nervous, but okay.

“Lapis,” Jasper said after taking a deep breath. 

“No, I’m going first,” Lapis firmly stated. She made eye-contact with Jasper, sighed, then said it.

“I’m sorry.” Lapis kicked her foot. “I shouldn’t have taken all my anger out on you.”

“I…” Jasper could barely believe what she just heard. “Um…” That wasn’t part of her plan… “Okay.” She cleared her throat then recalled the script she had rehearsed at home. “I took advantage of you to punish me. I did bad things, and always felt bad about myself and I used your anger to give me what I felt I deserved.”

Lapis looked like she was about to blow a gasket. “What! No! I used you! You were such an easy target. So big and smug, with that stupid nose piercing, you look like a bull, and you got angry back which made it easier for me to yell at you. But then you stopped and I kept going. For once  _I_  felt **powerful.”**

“And I felt like I deserved it so I let you keep going and egged you on, and when you did leave me I tried to get you back, I craved the attention. Nobody ever stays with me, our relationship, as awful as it was, was the longest one I ever had. I didn’t want it to stop and be alone again,” Jasper breathed in, “but it really was bad.”

“You know, you didn’t deserve what I did to you.”

“I know that now, but at the time I truely believed I did.”

“We were really bad for each other, you brought out the worst in me.”

“And you brought out the worst in me.”

“We really shouldn’t be together.”

“Well,” Jasper recalled what Peridot had told her, “we shouldn’t date,” she held out her hand, “but we can try being friends.”

Lapis didn’t take Jasper’s hand. “What if we fall back into our old habits?”

“Amethyst and the peacock will call us out on our shit,” Jasper jerked her head towards where the two she was referring to were sitting. “That’s why they’re here.”

Lapis looked at them. “God dammit, were they here the whole time?”

“Pretty sure.”

“She’s such a worrywart,” Lapis said with a fond smile. “Dumbass.”

“So how ‘bout it?” Jaser offered her hand again. “Wanna try being friends?”

“Sure,” Lapis took the offered hand. “We can try.”

“Hey Amethyst, Peridot,” Jasper called out to them. Amethyst perked up but Peridot looked confused. “You gone deaf, ya little peacock?”

“No!” Peridot replied with a blush, then when her and Amethyst joined Jasper and Lapis she continued, “it was just weird hearing you call me by my name.”

“Been over a year, kid,” Jasper clapped Peridot on the shoulder.

“Wait,” Amethyst crossed her arms with a smirk, “you knew Peri’s name the whole time.”

“I had a good feeling about her.”

Amethyst playfully smacked Jasper’s arm. “You ass. You were testing her.”

“Of course, I don’t want you getting hurt again,” Jasper chuckled at her feisty little sister. “Anybody patient enough to put up with me calling them such a dumb name’s bound to be good. Or at the very least be able to put up with you.”

As the exchange between sisters went on, Lapis looked at Peridot. “How’s condo life treating you?”

“Pretty well so far. I met two of my neighbours. They’re nice. So…” Peridot felt a small tug in her chest, “how’s the roommate search going?”

“Bad. You set the bar too high. I can’t go back to eating nothing but garbage,” Lapis’ cheeks warmed up. “And you’re nice and funny.”

“You know, you can come over any time,” saying this made the tug go away slightly. “I’d like that, and so would Max.”

“That damn mop, miss him too,” Lapis said under her breath then added in a normal tone, “And you swing by whenever. I’m not changing the lock.”

“It slipped my mind that I never gave my key back. I’ve had it for so long…”

“I never asked for it. I know I can trust you.”

“True, but I might scare your new roommate if I just waltzed on in. I don’t need to deal with the police.”

“Yeah, you do look kinda sketchy,” Lapis teased Peridot. “But I’ll just tell her to expect a short big-eared nerd with dumb hair to randomly show up.”

The two laughed.

“But I’m serious Peridot. Come over whenever you want. And bring Max.”

“You too. And I will come over with Max, he misses you too.”

Sensing that Peridot needed a hug Lapis held out her arm. “Come here, you sap.”

Peridot accepted the hug.

And that’s when Lapis realized she needed it too.

After some more talking Amethyst and Peridot parted ways with Lapis and Jasper who also went their separate ways.

 

* * *

 

“So glad that went as smoothly as it did,” Amethyst sounded relieved.

“Me too,” they arrived at the door of the beach house and Peridot opened it. “I wonder how Max did.”

Peridot looked around for him and and didn’t see him.

“He’s sleeping on the couch,” Pearl said, startling her. “Him and Steven ran and played all day.”

“Max must be pretty tuckered out then,” Peridot said with a laugh. “He’s gonna sleep well tonight.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Yeah, good for you, he kinda fussed a lot last night.”

“He’s never done that before, not even when I first got him,” Peridot sighed. 

“You have to remember, he’s known the duplex for most of his life,” Pearl surprisingly gave Peridot this gentle reminder. “It’ll take time for him to adjust to the new location and not having Lapis around.”

“It’s an adjustment for me too,” Peridot said under her breath.

“That’s natural, I imagine moving from Canada was one too,” Pearl placed a hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “But at least this time you actually know people and have some company. Even if it is of the furry variety.”

Amethyst gave Peridot a crushing hug. “Yeah! And if you ever need non-furry company just give me a call.”

“Thank you, both of you.”

“Well, you can stay for a bit, or if you need to go you can find Max on the couch,” Pearl jabbed her thumb towards the living room. 

“I think I should get going, I have stuff I need to do and groceries to put in the fridge,” Peridot walked into the living room.

And Steven was there. “Hi Peridot,” he said with a smile. “I think Max had fun.”

“It looks like it,” Peridot gave a very sleepy Max a pat. “And I trust you had fun too.”

“I did,” Steven gushed. “I didn’t know he could run that fast.”

“Yep, he’s pretty speedy when he wants to be.” 

“We had races, and played tug, and chase,” Steven listed off all the things the two of them did on his fingers with a big grin.

“Did you know that he knows how to play peek-a-boo?”

“He does?” Steven got starry-eyed. “I need to do that with him next time.”

“But maybe not around Pearl,” Peridot whispered. “He does this cute little bark and I don’t know how she’ll handle that.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Steven whispered back.

“Unfortunately, I have to take him home now,” Peridot picked Max up and he blearily opened his eyes, noticed Peridot, then went back to sleep. She gave him a kiss. 

“Aw, okay,” Steven sounded disappointed. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll see him again before you know it,” Peridot ruffled Steven’s hair.

“And you too, right?”

“Yeah,” Peridot smiled fondly. “And me too.”

Steven gave her a big hug and she left after getting another hug from Amethyst.

 

* * *

 

Max trotted next to Peridot through the hallway of the condo building. She  _technically_  was supposed to have him on a leash but he was well-behaved so it should be fine. And it was, Peridot reached her door without incident, well, apart from a mother looking at the two of them nervously as Max sniffed towards her child.

She’ll just have to get used to them, Peridot figured, only slightly bitterly.

Peridot didn’t finish her unpacking yesterday so when she finished putting groceries away. She started with her action figures because robots in cool poses always lighten up a room. She started with the Labrys Figma Amethyst managed to get her for Christmas.

A knock on the door interrupted Peridot’s reminiscing.

She hurried as fast as she could on her bum knee and prosthetic foot.

“Wait,” Peridot was slightly out of breath and a bit too late. When she got a look at who was walking away she smiled. It was Isa! …And Jeanne. “Sorry about that, I was unpacking,” she added with a laugh, “and my legs are kind of a mess.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Isa said, she was momentarily mildly puzzled then remembered the sight of Peridot in shorts. She held out a basket. “Here, a welcome basket.”

“Thank you,” Peridot took it and looked through it. “Ooo, I can make marmalade with this.”

“Marmalade?” Jeanne snickered. “What kinda punk are you?”

“One that’s a marmalade-loving nerd,” Peridot didn’t really appreciate Jeanne’s tone.

Or maybe a  _slight_  bias was shining through.

“So, uh,” Peridot awkwardly pointed at her door, “would you two like to come in and chat?”

Isa and Jeanne exchanged glances. 

“Sure,” Jeanne shrugged and Isa nodded.

Peridot led them into her home. “Now, it’s still a bit messy. I had more stuff than I thought.”

“You sure it’s such a good idea to invite strangers into your home?” Of course a Jaune was snarky and picky.

Peridot looked at Max who was still sprawled out on his back. “Well, Max doesn’t have a problem with it so I think having you two over is fine.” She held up her basket of fruits. “I’ll go put these away, make yourselves at home. Do you want tea?”

“No thanks,” Isa replied. “And I can help with the basket.”

“Thank you.”

The two went into the kitchen while Jeanne sat on the couch next to Max. She looked at him for a bit and he looked at her.

“Is your dog friendly?” Jeanne called to the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Peridot called back. “Go ahead and pet him. He especially likes chin scratches.”

While putting fruit away Isa looked in the living room and smiled. “Peridot,” she pointed at the couch, “I think Jeanne and Max like each other.”

Sure enough, Jeanne was smiling as she rubbed Max’s tummy and the pup was loving it.

Isa pulled out her phone and took a picture making sure Jeanne wouldn’t catch her and get embarassed.

And in that time Peridot decided that maybe Jeanne wasn’t so bad. Max is a pretty good judge of character after all.

Putting food away didn’t take long at all, Peridot and Isa joined Jeanne and Max bringing glasses of water.

“So, what do you two do for a living?” Peridot kicked herself for asking such a boring question.

“Get this, me and Jeanne are both lawyers.”

“Jaune’s a lawyer?” Peridot couldn’t believe it, how could somebody with highlighter-yellow hair be a lawyer? “Like, practicing?”

“Yes I’m a practicing lawyer,” Jeanne was understandably annoyed. “And why do you keep saying my name like that and making that face?”

“Oh, I didn’t realize,” Peridot didn’t want to touch on  _that_  subject so she stayed vague. “Somebody ruined that name for me. I assure you, it has nothing to do with you.”

Finding this odd, Isa kept it in mind. “Where are you from?” She asked.

“Calgary, Alberta,” Peridot replied.

“Me too,” Isa smiled as she put more pieces in place, especially as she got a better look at Peridot’s face. “Actually, you look kind of familiar.”

“Well that’s odd, I didn’t go to law school. I guess maybe we could have gone to elementary school together…”

Even more pieces fell into place, especially with that unique eye colour.

“Would you happen to know Jaune Diamont?” Isa asked out of the blue.

“What, no way they know somebody that important,” Jeanne waved her hand dismissively but then she noticed Peridot’s off expression. “Wait… do you?”

“Um… uh…” after much hesitation Peridot answered the question. “Yes. She is my mother.”

“Holy shit,” Jeanne said in quiet disbelief. 

“Aha! I knew it!” Isa was far less quiet. “You look just like her! You’re Peridot Diamont-Hōseki!”

“I can’t believe one of your crazy theories ended up being right,” Jeanne still wasn’t over it.

“I remembered that Jaune had a daughter because the lawsuit involving her was the talk of law school,” Isa looked at Peridot who was barely hiding her mild crisis. “Then one day the discussion suddenly stopped. It’s always bothered me. Something big must’ve happened.”

“It got settled out of court,” Max crawling onto her lap helped calm Peridot. “That’s all I can legally say.”

“That’s really suspicious,” Jeanne raised an eyebrow.

“Considering I’m sitting with two lawyers I really can’t say anything more.”

“You know,” Isa’s suspicions about the case had woken a strange new feeling up inside her, but she couldn’t place it, “you can tell  _your_ lawyer about it. It’s not official yet, but if you need one you can hire me.”

As much as Peridot didn’t appreciate the subject of Jaune being pushed on, that weird feeling from earlier returned. She… kind of wanted to tell this lady she only just met more about it.

“I’m really uncomfortable going into detail,” Peridot took a breath,  _in and out_ , and stroked Max. “But I will tell you this. It was a divorce case and ‘alleged’ child abuse was a large factor.”

Both Zircon’s eyes went wide.

“Oh jesus…” Jeanne was the only one to speak.

Isa didn’t, she had a feeling that was it, but that new feeling made her unusually quiet. After a little bit he figured out what that feeling was.

She wanted to take care of and protect this young woman she recently met.

“I don’t know what to say,” Isa breathed in. “But if you need a restraining order filed or anything, even non-legal matters, my door is open.”

“You have my gratitude,” unlike Isa, Peridot still hadn’t figured out what she was feeling. “Oh, and I’ve already filed a restraining order against her.”

“Well I would hope so,” Jeanne loudly said.

Isa realized something. “For the record, my wife’s name is spelled J-e-a-n-n-e not J-a-u-n-e so she doesn’t have the same name as your mother.”

“That’s good to know,” with the bias gone Peridot was actually able to think better of Jeanne.

Though she still found Jeanne a bit rude…

“Moving on,” Isa made a motion with her hands as if she was physically moving something. “I see you like video games. Jeanne was really into them when she was younger. Weren’t you dear?”

“Yep, I was a SEGA kid. I played a lot of Sonic.”

“Ah, I was a Nintendo kid myself, but I did have Sonic CD on the PC.”

“Missed that one, the SEGA CD was too expensive and I didn’t even know about the PC version.”

“It got re-released on a few consoles. I have it on my PS3 if you want to play it.”

Jeanne actually smiled. “Maybe some other time.”

And Peridot smiled back.

The three chatted for a while about their interests and eventually the Zircons had to leave.

Then Peridot got back to her task of unpacking while talking to Amethyst on the phone.

_“Whattup Peri?”_

“Hey Amethyst,” Peridot couldn’t hold in her giggle. “Do you remember Jeanne and Isa?”

_“Yeah, just met ‘em, blue and yellow hair, right?”_

“Right. They were just over and they’re actually really nice.”

_“Cool, it looked like you didn’t like Jeanne.”_

“It was mostly bias since her name sounds like my mother’s,” Peridot answered truthfully. “But it’s spelled differently. The sound still bugs me a bit though.”

_“Give it time.”_

“I will.”

_“So why’d you call? I like talking but we saw each other earlier. It’s not like you.”_

“Still feeling a bit lonely I guess.”

_“Want me to serenade you to sleep?” Amethyst jokingly offered._

Peridot laughed. “No thank you. I don’t want to wake up with a dead or broken phone.”

She heaved a heavy box onto the table to sort through.

_“Still unpacking?”_

“Yeah, it’s taking forever. How’d I amass this much stuff in four years?”

_“Dude, I’m the same way. You keep buying these little trinkets and before you know it you look around and think ‘shit, how’d this happen?’ And then you go and buy more stuff.”_

“For someone who isn’t into statues I sure have a lot of statues…”

_Amethyst chuckled heartily._

The two of them continued to talk as Peridot unpacked.

 

* * *

 

Peridot looked around her quiet new living room and let out a satisfied breath. She finally finished unpacking.

As her eyes wandered she thought about where she was just four years ago.

At the time, the fire seemed like the end of it all.

She lost her home.

She lost her belongings.

She lost her savings.

She would wear the scars for the rest of her life.

It hurt.

But from that fire she met Lapis, a close dear friend.

Then Amethyst, her wonderful girlfriend.

And of course, Max. Her companion who helped and continues to help with all the stress.

All that loss and nearly dying put everything into perspective.

It made her a better person. And in several ways, it gave her a better life.

Peridot smiled.

That fire was actually a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow! I’m actually done this! I wanna thank those of you who read this until the end. I appreciate you so much! And I really appreciate new readers as well I hope you enjoy reading the whole story. Of course I’ll still be writing stuff for this AU but the main chunk of story is done.
> 
> And a big shoutout to drawbauchery on Tumblr for her Mom Zircon AU. It really inspired my human Zircon. That dynamic between Zircon and Peridot is super cute! And I really wanted to do a similar dynamic. But without the stalker, I think I’ve put poor Peri through enough already. Haha.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo! I'm so excited to get this thing up! I've been talking about it a lot on my Tumblr and if you've been on there you probably also saw me drawing and writing a human AU a lot. This is that AU. It's funny how I created it just because I needed one for the third Amedot Bomb and it became a big fleshed-out thing.


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